


Star Crossed Lovers

by OrChan12



Series: Love Is A Rebel [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hunger Games AU, M/M, Sad Ending, Star-crossed, There Can Be Only One, english is not my first language, friends like family, i'm trash, satan called, there is a special spot for me in hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-03-11 03:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3312872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrChan12/pseuds/OrChan12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every year, childhood friends from different districts, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima make a promise to see each other again after the reaping. That year was the same, except for one thing: they both were chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, where you either win or die.</p><p>But with growing feelings for each other, the thought that only one could make it out alive terrifies them both. Will one of them end up betraying the other or a miracle might happen?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Promise and The Reaping

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write few chapters before posting it, but I couldn't help it, I wanted to know what poeple think about this fic.
> 
> It has been a while since I read the books and watched the movies, also I read it in my mother tongue. There might be some stuff that aren't accurate or misspelled, but again, it's because my memory sucks. 
> 
> Most of the tributes are made up because I didn't want to send my babies to that awful game, so I sent just few. 
> 
> (This was done as a birthday present from me to... well, me- because I ship it hard. I want to write as many TsukkiYama and Oiyama fics as I can)

_It's not easy having a friend from another district. The twelve districts of Panem were separated from one another, however, it wasn't impossible. Yamaguchi visited District 2 regularly, it was a richer district than 12. However, the real reason why Yamaguchi visited the district was because his friend, Tsukishima Kei, lived there._

_Peacekeepers from the Capitol were sent to each district in order to impose discipline and order. Because District 2 produced expensive items for the Capitol, it had fewer peacekeepers, which was something Yamaguchi enjoyed. It was a lot easier to sneak into the woods that surrounded the district, where Yamaguchi and Tsukishima spent their time together. They were alone and they could talk about everything, including the games._

_"Is there something bothering you?" asked Tsukishima._

_"No," Yamaguchi lied. Actually, the following annual reaping for the Games was coming closer and this time he wasn't the only one in danger._

_"You are easy to read, but you still lie," said Tsukishima. "What is it?"_

_"It's Shoyo," Yamaguchi explained. "He turned twelve. Tomorrow will be his first reaping."_

_"Relax, twelve years old can nominate themselves only once. His odds to be chosen are practically zero."_

_"But still, the thought he might participate the Games someday… I can't think about it, he is too young."_

_"That's why I hate the Games."_

_Districts 1, 2 and 4 were known for the richest districts. The Capitol benefits the most from those districts and therefore treats them better. Most of the winners come from those districts. Though it wasn't officially allowed, the tributes from those districts used to train for the Games. Volunteering in those districts was considered an honor. Yet, Tsukishima loathed the Games, especially because what happened to his brother._

_"The Capitol basically chooses random 24 kids to kill each other," Tsukishima continued. "They pick their favorites, cheer for them as they become killers, they cry when they die… It's sick and twisted." In the woods, Tsukishima could freely say that without being caught by the government, though Tsukishima never tried to hide his contempt from the Capitol. It was one of the things Yamaguchi had always liked about his friend._

_It was getting dark and Yamaguchi knew he had to return home. They walked back to the district together, very close to one another, almost touching. When it was time to say goodbye, they stood one in front of the other, like they always did every time before the Reaping._

_"I will meet you again after the Reaping, Tsuki," said Yamaguchi with a smile._

_"Yeah, sure," said Tsukishima in a dull voice, though Yamaguchi knew he meant it._

_They always made a promise to meet each other after the Reaping. Only that time, they kissed._

District 12 was a poor district and so was Yamaguchi. He was abandoned by his mother when he was a little boy, too young to remember her face, and he never knew who his father was. He was found by another orphan, Sugawara Koushi, a kind teen with grey hair, who took care of him. He lived together with the orphans of the district. They weren't biologically related to one another, but they were a family.

No one took care of them, no one could afford to. Still, they managed to survive. Though it was illegal, they hunted, sometimes selling the meat to the peacemakers. His older brothers taught him how to use a bow, hunt, and throw a spear- anything that would help him to survive under poor conditions. The only one who didn't hunt was Sugawara, who had a great medical knowledge and was the district's doctor. Because of his job, Sugawara was the only male who wasn't forced to work as a coal miner once he turned 18.

Lately, they could barely make a living out of hunting. Azumane Asahi and Sawamura Daichi were adults and therefore worked as coal miners. Nishinoya Yuu and Tanaka Ryonosuke turned 19 and joined Asahi and Daichi in the miners. All the hunting duty was left for Yamaguchi. He had two other siblings, Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio; however, both of them were young and not skilled enough. Also, it seemed that Kageyama also preferred to help Sugawara with the patients rather than hunt. 

They all lived under the same roof, in a small house with one room. Sugawara didn't make a lot of money- most of the citizens couldn't pay with money, so they usually brought food as a payment. Coal miners didn't get paid high enough. Yet, they took care of each other. They found ways to survive. Sometimes they got food from one of Sugawara's patients or they got food in exchange for a rabbit or anything they could hunt.

Yamaguchi woke up earlier than he expected. It was the day of the Reaping, and he woke up to the sound of Hinata's screams. Hinata already turned 12, which meant only one unfortunate thing- he could be chosen as a tribute. Hinata's nightmares began a week before the Reaping. Yamaguchi felt helpless, he knew he couldn't help Hinata in any way.

Yamaguchi went to the forest. Just like in District 2, where was a hole in the electric fence, and Yamaguchi knew the Capitol cut of the electricity in that area, mostly because if one got caught in the woods, one would be executed. Because they couldn't keep their weapons in the house, they hid them inside one of the trees. Yamaguchi took his bow and arrows and looked for something worth to hunt in order to sell to the peacekeepers. He found a deer, a rare sight those days. He took an arrow and he aimed. He waited a couple of moment- he was taught that it was the best to shoot an animal through its eye.

He waited patiently, until a noise from behind him made him loose the arrow and aim towards the deer's legs. The deer got scared and ran away. He turned around and saw a tall man, though not as tall as Yamaguchi, who looked like monk. "Morning hunt?" he asked with a smirk.

Yamaguchi knew the day of the Reaping was a day off for everyone, thus it wasn't surprising to see Tanaka with him. "I almost caught that deer. We could earn a lot of money from it."

"Not today, you won't," Tanaka scolded him. "What were you thinking? There are peacekeepers everywhere today!"

"Who sent you, Ryu?"

"Who do you think? If I don't come back with you, both Daichi and Koushi would kill me."

Yamaguchi laughed. "Well, too bad I'll come with empty hands."

"No we won't," said Tanaka with a reassuring smile. "I caught a squirrel this morning and I got bread for it. Now, let's go and get ready for the Reaping. I want to look handsome for Kyoko-san."

 

When the two got back, Sugawara and Sawamura scolded him for his reckless behavior. They were right in the end of the day, but Yamaguchi still wished he wouldn't come empty handed. Tanaka did bring bread and they managed to have a good breakfast, though the bread wasn't enough for eight men. He washed his slender body and wore clean clothes. Everyone in the house looked handsome, as if they were going to a party. It was one of the parts Yamaguchi hated about the game.

Yamaguchi brushed his dark brown hair in front of the mirror. He didn't sleep well the other night, and his freckled face gave that away. Sometimes he wished he didn't have freckles, he was picked up a lot as a child. When he finished, a short young boy with spiky orange hair and brown-orange eyes approached him, holding his black cat in his arms. Yamaguchi could see his eyes were tearing, but the boy didn't cry.

Yamaguchi smiled at him. "Don't worry, Shoyo," he said. "Your name is only one there. If anything, I put my name 34 times; I should be more worried than you."

"But my name is still there," murmured Hinata.

"I promise you, you won't be sent to the games," said Yamaguchi, though he wasn't sure himself. There wasn't much he could do.

Kageyama, who was almost 12, came closer. With a serious expression on his face, he stared at Hinata with his dark blue eyes fiercely. Most kids were afraid from Kageyama, but Hinata got used to it, even though at first Hinata cried when Kageyama tried to smile at him. Despite the fact the two constantly fought each other, they were good friends. "Don't be chosen, dumbass," Kageyama said to Hinata.

"Right," said Hinata back and the he felt better.

 

The men and women lined up in front of the Hall of Justice in two separate groups. Right in front of them there was a large stage, with the mayor of District 12, some camera men and the district's escort. They were organized according to age groups. Yamaguchi could see Hinata and Kageyama stand together, holding hands, both nervous. Yamaguchi was nervous too, but the thought of seeing Tsukishima after the games kept him going.

The escort of District 12 from the Capitol stood on the stage. Unlike most of the Capitol citizens, Shimizu Kyoko didn't dress up in ridiculous costumes, wore too much make up or had a crazy hair style. She looked pretty normal. She didn't wear make up at all and she was still beautiful. Her black hair was long and shiny. She wore glasses, something that the Capitol didn't do either- they had a special surgery to improve their sight. However, the thing Yamaguchi loved the most about Shimizu was her lack of enthusiasm.

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor." She wasn't excited about the Games and it was a certain relief.

They put a big screen on the stage that showed a small clip made by the Capitol. Afterwards, it was time to choose the tributes. They started from the girls, as always. "Tomoda Hikari," announced Shimizu. Yamaguchi knew who Tomoda was. Tomoda was infamous for being a little bit off. She was scary and she wasn't friendly at all. She also used to bully Yamaguchi. She went up to the stage, her face was stoic. If she was scared, she sure knew how to hide it well.

"And now," said Shimizu. "Let's move on to the boys." She went to the boys' names and picked up one. "Hinata Shoyo."

No. No, this could not be happening! Yamaguchi thought he misheard the name, but when everyone looked at Hinata, he knew the nightmare came true. It wasn't fair. Hinata's name was up there only once. He was only 12. At that moment, Yamaguchi's world went dark.

Hinata was slowly walking to the stage, but he didn't make it far. Kageyama refused to let him go. The peacemakers didn't have the patience for waiting and decided to take Hinata by force. "You can't take my brother away," said Kageyama. The peacemakers used force to separate the boys. Tanaka and Sawamura stepped up to help them, but they were stopped by other peacemakers.

"Shoyo," Kageyama screamed as he tried to reach Hinata.

"Tobio," Hinata cried.

Yamaguchi couldn't bare the sight anymore. "I volunteer!"

Suddenly, all the eyes were on him. The peacemakers, the citizens of District 12, Shimizu, his family… Yamaguchi suddenly understood what he yelled. "I volunteers as a tribute."


	2. The road to the Capitol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I showed my friend a picture of Yamaguchi and now she insist on calling him Tamaguchi... I'm so sorry.

Yamaguchi walked towards the stage, ignoring the voices of his younger brothers. He just volunteered for the Hunger Games, which was stupid and Tsukishima would probably tell him that. Only, he wouldn't. He would never see Tsukishima again. That thought was unbearable. Yet, he couldn't just stand by as Hinata was dragged to the stage by force, watch his family torn apart.

One could volunteer instead of another tribute to go to the Games. No one in District 12 had volunteered. Who would choose to be sent to that awful game unless they wanted to die? Yamaguchi wondered if he had a death wish.

He went up the stage and he saw his older brothers stare at him, bewildered and broken at the same time. His younger sibling didn't look better either.

"We have a first volunteer of District 12," said Shimizu. "What's your name?"

"Yamaguchi Tadashi," he said.

"And why did you volunteer?" asked the escort.

"I…" Yamaguchi couldn't find the words. "We may not be related by blood, but Shoyo is like my little brother."

There was a sudden silence. Then, he saw Tanaka stand up straight and help up his right hand, showing three fingers tight together, a gesture that wasn't approved by the Capitol, to side with Yamaguchi. Soon, the rest of his brothers joined and then the rest of the district. Yamaguchi was moved by the gesture and Shimizu reacted quickly before the peacemakers could.

"Those are the tributes of District 12," she said. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

 

Yamaguchi was waiting in a small room inside the Hall of Justice; he paid no attention to his surroundings. Soon, his family members would come and he would have only 3 minutes to say goodbye to them.

The first ones were Hinata, Kageyama and Azumane. Hinata ran straight to him, hugging him tightly. Kageyama and Azumane followed his lead. He couldn't believe it was the last time he would see them.

"What you did was very brave, Tadashi" said Azumane. He was a big man with a little bit long brown hair who looked older for his age, though he was only 20. Yamaguchi remembered that he was scared of Azumane at first, but he quickly grew to like the man. Azumane may look scary, but he was a kind soul.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry," said Hinata. "I shouldn't have been chosen-"

"It's not your fault," said Yamaguchi. "I told you, I wouldn't let you go to the Games. Look guys, I want to tell something before I'm going-"

"No!" Kageyama stopped him. "You can say whatever you want when you come back."

"He is right," said Azumane, "we believe in you. Don't say goodbye, it sounds like we will never see each other again."

"You can win," said Hinata. "Please, try to win."

"I'm going to miss you guys," said Yamaguchi, trying not to fall apart in front of his younger siblings.

The next ones were Sugawara and Sawamura. Sawamura went straight to the point. "You can do this. You know how to hunt. You are good at this. You have a chance of winning, so don't give up."

"I taught you everything you need to know about plants," said Sugawara. "Also, you know basic healing skills, so there shouldn't be a problem. Remember everything we taught you."

Both pulled into a hug. "Please survive this," they both said.

"Also, I'm sorry," said Sawamura.

"Why?"

"Because," the older man stopped for a moment, "because it's supposed to be my job to protect you all."

"Daichi," Sugawara mumbled in surprise.

He looked at the two men who stood in front of him, the two men who were like father figures to him. Sugawara was the one who found him and brought him to the house, even though they couldn't afford another mouth to feed. He also taught him how to read and write, among other skills studied in school. Sawamura taught him- and the others- how to hunt and build his own bow. Both men were like parents, like the ones Yamaguchi didn't have.

"You can't volunteer anyway, you are too old," Yamaguchi tried to make a joke. The mood was too heavy.

"Hey, I can still win the Games," said Sawamura in a fake offense.

They both said goodbye to him, after making him to promise to stay alive and come back home.

Tanaka and Nishinoya just cried. "You are a great man!" they both told him.

"Thank you," Yamaguchi said quietly.

"Also," Tanaka said and fumbled in his pocket, "I want you to have this." He gave Yamaguchi a round golden pin with a bird inside. "It's a mockingjay, it'll protect you."

"Thanks," said Yamaguchi again.

"All you have to do is to get the sponsors to like you," said Nishinoya, "which isn't something I know I don't have to worry about. Be yourself, you the face of someone lovable. I'm 200% sure sponsors would prefer you other than that witch. She is scarier than Tobio when he tries to smile."

 

He said goodbye to his family- he didn't have friends in the district. Along with Tomoda and Shimizu, Yamaguchi rode the train to the Capitol. It wasn't the first time he ever rode a train, but it was fancy, decorated with luxuries and fine furniture. On one of the wagons there was food, enough to feed Yamaguchi and his siblings for a month. But, Yamaguchi wasn't in the right mood to enjoy all that. Tomoda and he were waiting to meet their mentor. The mentor was the last winner of the Games from the same district. District 12 had only one victor so far, Ukai Keishin.

He was twenty years older than Yamaguchi, almost as tall as the latter. His hair was bleached and he looked a little but lazy. Yamaguchi didn't remember the last he saw the man without a cigarette in his hand. The man walked in and grabbed a beer before sitting next to the tributes.

"So, you are the new tributes."

"Let's skip the whole introduction and move straight to the point," said Tomoda, pissed off. "What do we have to do to win the Games?"

"Calm down and work on your attitude," said Ukai. "You won't be able to win if you are going to have the charm of a venomous snake."

"Whatever, as if an old man can teach me something I don't know," said Tomoda.

Before Ukai was about to react, Yamaguchi spoke. "Can you please give us some advices to survive?"

"You see," Ukai pointed at Yamaguchi as he spoke to Tomoda, "this is how you don't piss off people you just met."

Tomoda rolled her eyes. "Give me a break, freckles will the first one to die." She stood up and walked to her room as she was saying, "Whatever, you guys bore me anyway."

"She is charming," mumbled Shimizu.

"She is right, though," said Yamaguchi. "I don't think I will be able to kill. I will probably be the first one to die."

"You are a ray of shine," said Ukai. "You don't have to become a murderer. Don't kill unless it's necessary. Focus on surviving. Get the sponsors to like you. Do you have any talents?"

"I can use a bow," said Yamaguchi. "I'm not sure if it's my talent, but I'm pretty good at his after practicing all this years."

Ukai looked at Yamaguchi as if he remembered something. "Aren't you one of those orphans who sell the meet in the market?"

"Yes, I am," said Yamaguchi.

"Great," said Ukai. "And you say you don't stand a chance for winning."

"Isn't it illegal to hunt?" asked Shimizu, whom for a moment Yamaguchi forgot she was from the Capitol.

"People got to make a living somehow," said Ukai. Shimizu didn't react much and Yamaguchi was grateful. She wasn't a typical Capitol woman.

"You think I have a chance of winning?" asked Yamaguchi nervously.

"Of course you do," said Ukai. "A person who volunteers for someone else isn't a person who can easily lose. Not to mention, you seem to have good manners, it won't be hard for you to get sponsors. Besides, don't you have people you want to see after the Games?"

 

They reached the Capitol after two days. The Capitol was as vast as Yamaguchi imagine. It looked modern, everything was clean and people dressed up on crazy outfits walked the streets. They went through a dark tunnel before reaching their stop. Hundreds of people waited for them, cheering and taking their pictures. Just like Ukai instructed him, he smiled and waved to the people in order to get on their good side. It worked.

Later, both Tomoda and he were taken to a place where they got washed and also gave him a haircut. "We just prepare you before you meet Oikawa-kun," said the woman who was cutting his hair.

Yamaguchi didn't know who Oikawa-kun was, but he guessed it was their stylist. Before the tributes' parade- an event that all the tributes from all the districts are introduced - each stylist makes the tributes special outfits that represent their districts. District 12 was known for coal, so each year the district's tributes are dressed up in horribly black outfits that don't impress the sponsors much.

Yamaguchi waited in a small dark room before he met the stylist. Then, a man entered the room. He was a little bit taller than Yamaguchi, and very handsome. His hair looked fabulous, Yamaguchi had to admit.

"Hello," said the man, "I'm Oikawa Tooru, now take off your clothes."

"What?" said Yamaguchi in a surprised tone.

"Just kidding," the man laughed. "You are too skinny anyway. The Capitol ladies are going to be jealous at your figure. What is your secret? "

"I'm poor," admitted Yamaguchi.

"Well, it doesn't matter," said Oikawa. "I'm going to make the best outfit ever seen in the Games."

Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow. "No coal?"

Oikawa smirked. "I'm the best stylist in the Capitol! Do you think I'll let the first tribute if District 12 to go out there in a lame costume?"

Oikawa stepped closer to Yamaguchi and put his both hands on the boy's shoulders. "Trust me; I'm going to make you smoking hot."

 

Yamaguchi didn't understand what Oikawa was talking about. So far he wore a simple black suit that was tight to his body.

It was about time for the tributes' parade. Before being introduced, all the tributes gathered together, making final preparations. Every tribute was with his or her stylists, not caring much about the rest.

And Yamaguchi felt his world went dark again. The moment he went there with Oikawa and Tomoda, that's where he saw him. Yamaguchi noticed him immediately, after all he was the second tallest in the room. His only friend, the one person whom he cared about that wasn't a part of his family, the guy he was in love with stood there. It wasn't long until Tsukishima noticed him too.

"Tsuki?" Yamaguchi murmured in astonishment. He wanted to approach his friend; wonder why he had such a shitty luck in his life, but Oikawa stopped him.

"What are you doing?" asked Oikawa. "Now it's not the time to start making allies."

"Tsuki is my friend," said Yamaguchi and tried to release him, but Oikawa's grip was strong.

"Well, not now!" Oikawa said. "You two will have plenty of time together; don't show the others you know each other yet."

"I think you should tell that to Tsuki," said Tomoda, "because it's hard for him not to be obvious. Not when he is checking freckle's ass in this suit."

Yamaguchi tried hard not to blush as Oikawa was saying: "I changed my mind, I do like you."

"You are not bad yourself, Capitol boy," Tomoda said without making it sound like a flirt- it probably wasn't."

"I hate you both," said Yamaguchi.

"Stop blushing, you look like a strawberry," said Tomoda. "Now, Capitol boy, what's you big surprise for us?"

"I'm going to set you both on fire," Oikawa said with a smile. "These are special suits. You won't feel anything; the fire is a fake any way. I wanted to make something real, but I didn't have time to make the right suit."

Then Oikawa set them both on fire. It wasn't painful, as he promised. Some of his brothers would probably be excited because in other situations it could be cool. It was show time. The tributes were introduced. The Capitol was excited, the President of Panem said few words, but Yamaguchi ignored all that. All he could focus was Tsukishima. The blond stared at him, and Yamaguchi thought it was the first time he couldn't read his friend's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you liked it. Please leave a review :)  
> (I promise angst in the next chapters and the most important- TsukkiYama moments)


	3. Meetings and confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yay, another chapter! Or not, I don't know how you view it...
> 
> Any way, Tsuki and Yama finally talk in this one!

The tributes get two weeks to train before they are sent to the Games. After the tributes' parade, they are given 3 days to train before the game makers evaluate them and give them a ranking- the higher the ranking, the higher is the chance to impress the sponsors.

They were sent to a hotel, every district got their own room, which was funny for Yamaguchi because the "rooms" were the same size as an apartment. He didn't get the chance to speak to Tsukishima and he knew he would get the chance to that only during the trainings. He had his own room, something he wasn't used to. Yamaguchi lied in his bed and fell asleep quickly, without dreaming for he was afraid to have nightmares.

The next day was the first day of their training. There were different stations, some for practicing fighting skills, some for using weapons and others that were about general survival. They were recommended about the survival station- not everyone necessarily was killed by another tribute. The tributes were also warned not to start unnecessary fights, but wait for the arena.   

Tsukishima went practicing knife-throwing. Yamaguchi picked a bow and a bunch of arrows and went to his friend. "Hey, Tsuki," was all he could say. Honestly, what could he say in this situation?

"I heard you volunteered," said the blond quietly, throwing one of the knives he held.

Yamaguchi suddenly felt discomfort. "Yes…" he admitted."But I'm glad to see you, I mean I don't… I mean I am happy to see you but in this-"

"I don't care." His words were cold and hit Yamaguchi hard. Without looking at him, Tsukishima went to another station, claiming he wanted to practice by himself.  

He heard Tomoda approaching him. "Did someone get rejected?"She was amused.

"I don't want to hear that," Yamaguchi said in a sad voice. He wanted to see his friend so badly and now he was being ignored. It was clear to him he made Tsukishima mad, even though he didn't exactly know how.

All of a sudden, he heard screaming. It was one of the tributes, from District 1. The tall black haired man with a big body-built and a scar right under his right eye, which Yamaguchi didn't remember his name, yelled at another tribute, which was much shorter and slender.

"Where is my knife?" he yelled.

"I told you, Sawada, I don't know," said the boy.

"I know you took my knife, give it back!" Sawada yelled.

Yamaguchi looked at the other tributes, which were also staring at the scene and noticed the make tribute from District 11 was looking up with a smile on his face. Yamaguchi looked up too and saw the second tribute of District 11. She was young, about Hinata's age, and cute. She had short blond hair and brown-yellow eyes. She also held what was probably Sawada's knife.

 

_He heard a little boy's cry for help. Yamaguchi ran towards him. "Tadashi," he heard the voice call him. There were trees everywhere, making it harder to find the boy. Then he found the boy, he was horrified. Hinata was held by a peacemaker, the latter held a knife to the former's throat._

_No, it was wrong. Why was Hinata in the arena? Yamaguchi volunteered for him, Hinata was supposed to be safe. Yamaguchi stepped closer, but he felt he wasn't stepping on the mud. He looked down and screamed in despair. All his older brothers, a woman whom he didn't recognize and Tsukishima lied dead on the ground. Their eyes were open, but there was no doubt they were soulless._

_The peacemaker sliced Hinata's throat and threw him at the floor of bodies. The peacemaker laughed in a devilish tone. Yamaguchi felt helpless. He looked to his side and saw Kageyama standing terrified next to President Snow. "Leave him alone, he isn't old enough to be in the Games!" yelled Yamaguchi._

_"You can't protect anyone," said Snow. The old man held a small phial with a red liquid inside. "You just have to learn it the hard way, don't you?"_

_With the help of the peacemakers, Snow made Kageyama to drink the liquid. The young boy dropped on the floor, a painful expression on his face. Yamaguchi wanted to run towards him, but he was stopped by more peacemakers. President Snow came closer and ordered the peacemaker who killed Hinata to finish the job._

Yamaguchi woke up; his body was covered in sweat. He started to have nightmares again. His bed was comfortable, a lot more than what he back home, but he couldn't stay in it. He stood up, and decided to get out of the room. He needed to breathe air and he felt as if the walls were caging him in a prison he was aware he wasn't able to escape.

Walking down the hallway, Yamaguchi found his way to the elevators. He pressed the top floor button, what led him to the rooftop. Yamaguchi guessed the Capitol didn't mind if the tributes went up because if they tried something stupid like escaping, they would be executed. If the tribute tried to commit suicide- well, the result would be the same. The minute he went to the rooftop, he could suddenly feel the cold wind blowing. There was nothing on the rooftop besides one person other than himself.

At first, Tsukishima didn't notice Yamaguchi was there too. He looked at the distance, covering himself with a blanket as a protection against the wind. But when suddenly Yamaguchi walked closer, Tsukishima looked at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to breathe some air," said Yamaguchi. "I couldn't sleep."

Tsukishima said nothing. Yamaguchi sat down next to him, afraid to say something that might upset the blond. The city lights shined bright at the night. It was quite romantic. Yamaguchi tried to push that thought away, blushing. "The Capitol looks nice at the night," he tried to break the silence.

"I know," said Tsukishima, "it doesn't look like a city of people that sends children to kill each other every year."

The cold wind blew, making Yamaguchi shaking. Tsukishima offered silently a little bit of his blanket to the shivering teen. Yamaguchi thanked him, but there was still some tension between the two.

Then again, what could they say in this type of situation? They used to be friends, but now they had to kill one another. If that wasn't enough, Yamaguchi knew his feelings towards Tsukishima weren't plutonic. Yamaguchi didn't know if his friend also felt the same way, but it didn't matter. Their case was bad enough without it developing any further.

Still, Yamaguchi was curious. "Tsuki, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Remember the day we met before the reaping?"

"We do that every year."

"You know which one I'm talking about."

Tsukishima stood up. "I'm tired, I'm going back. You can keep the blanket, it's a cold night."

"No, wait, Tsuki," Yamaguchi stood up too, trying to chase the taller man, but Tsukishima closed the doors of the elevator before Yamaguchi could reach him.

 

Before they are ranked, the tributes had to go on an interview in front of the Capitol. It was another chance to impress the sponsors. In a way, it made a perfect sense. The more sponsors one had, the higher were their chances to survive. Yamaguchi was nervous whereas Oikawa was excited.

"This is your chance to make an impression," said the stylist while fixing the tribute's suit. "Your friend would fail, so I made her a stunning dress. She just needs to spin more and talk less."

"But how do I make them like me?" asked Yamaguchi.

"Didn't that old mentor of yours taught you anything?"

"Well, he said I have nothing to worry about."

"And he is right about that. Just be friendly. Talk with the interviewer like you two are old friends. You are a good boy, I'm sure you will figure something."

Yamaguchi looked at the mirror. He didn't like his suit very much. It was red and covered with glitters- Oikawa swore it was the last fashion in the Capitol, though his suit was just dark blue. "It's just my work clothes."

Yamaguchi thought about Tsukishima. How would he do in the interviews?

"Are thinking about that friend of yours?" asked Oikawa.

"Yes," said Yamaguchi. "He is a good person, but not really friendly at first."

"As far as I heard, the female sponsors love the guy, so I guess you don't have to worry about that. Though, I would get more fans if I were there. Besides, Kuroo can make everyone talk."

"I met him yesterday," Yamaguchi admitted.

Oikawa smirked. "So you two are not just friends. I knew he wasn't checking you because you looked awesome in the suit I designed."

Yamaguchi blushed. "No, it wasn't anything like that. I just feel like he is avoiding me. I don't even think he thinks about me the same way."

Oikawa's facial expression changed. "Let me quote my dear Iwa-chan- 'are you dumbass?'"

"What?"

"From what I heard so far I realized something. Your friend is in denial and you are an air-head. Now, stop worrying so much. You're lucky to have Kuroo as your interviewer; he will go easy on you. Friendly advice, he likes cats, you two can talk about that."

Yamaguchi didn't know how a conversation about cats was supposed to impress the audience, but he didn't mind talking about that topic.

 

They waited in line, in the districts order starting from District 1. Tsukishima kept avoiding Yamaguchi, what let to Tomoda making comments.

"You know what? I'm bored, when are they going to start?" Tomoda yawned.

There was a small television in the backstage, where the tributes could see the interviews. That wasn't the first time Yamaguchi saw Kuroo Tetsurou. Kuroo interviewed the tributes for the past 4 years, never managed to get rid of his morning hair. He also wore a glittering suit, colored red and black, almost similar to Yamaguchi's. He usually changed his hair color every year, however, this year he decided on plain black hair. Maybe the last fashion in the Capitol was natural hair colors.

Tsukishima went up first, as expected. He wore a simple black tux, a very elegant look. Even his messy curls were brushed. The ladies screamed as he was walking on the stage. He shook hands with the interviewer and sat down on the chair in front of Kuroo.

"I guess we already have a favorite," said Kuroo, the ladies agreeing. "Isn't it nice to hear you fans, Tsuki?"

"Don't call me that," said Tsukishima annoyed. "And I'm pretty much used to it from home."

Kuroo laughed. "I guess with your looks, girls just fall to your feet, Tsuki-"

"Don't call me that."

"Tell me," Kuroo ignored Tsukishima's comment. "I want to know, and I think everyone wants to know, do you have someone special in your life right now?"

There was a moment of silence. Tsukishima simply answered: "no." Yamaguchi was both happy and dissatisfied.

"So you don't have a girlfriend?"

"No, I don't."

"Why? Is it because you suck at dating?"

"That's not it," said Tsukishima. The crowd laughed, the women were probably relaxed finding out their favorite was single.

"Well, if you win the games, I assure you girls would want you no matter what," said Kuroo smiling.

"No, it won't," said Tsukishima automatically. Yamaguchi could see he regretted that.

"Why? You would have anyone you want," Kuroo seemed surprised.

"I won't," Tsukishima stopped for a moment. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Because there is a person I love, but I don't think they realized that." Yamaguchi was taken aback. Since when did Tsukishima have someone he liked? He never mentioned anyone in their talks. Yamaguchi was sure Tsukishima never talked about any friends.  

"So what's the problem?"

"They are here with me."

The crowd felt silent, bewildered by Tsukishima's confession. Kuroo wore a sad facial expression.

"I wish you the best luck, star crossed lovers."

 

The crowd was stunned. Needless to say, so was Yamaguchi. At first, the boy was excited to find out his feelings weren't one-sided. However, he realized what it meant. It wasn't an ordinary situation where they could just start dating. Romance in the Games was a suicide. There could be only one victor.

Tsukishima finished his interview and went down the stage. Yamaguchi hoped he could a word with his friend, but Tsukishima passed him, without even glaring towards him.

"Wow, he does suck at dating," said Tomoda.

Yamaguchi wanted to chase him and talk to him, but Tomoda stopped him. Her grip was quite strong. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go and talk to him!"

"You can't," said a voice that came from a different direction. It was the little girl from District 11, who stood in front of them. "I mean, if you go, it might be considered quitting."

"Don’t eavesdrop, birdie," said Tomoda in a venomous voice.

The girl looked scared and her companion glared at Tomoda. Yamaguchi on the other hand offered her a smile and a thank you. The girl looked happy and put a bright smile on her face. Yamaguchi had a feeling that Hinata and the tribute from District 11 could become good friends.

Each tribute went on stage, and when, it was finally Yamaguchi's turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst and pain in future chapters :D


	4. A Good Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi's interview and evaluations. We he be able to face Tsukishima?

Yamaguchi walked towards the television host, the crowd greeted him with applause. Kuroo and he shook hands before sitting down. "I must say," started Kuroo, "and I think I speak for everyone of us, I couldn't help but shed tears when you volunteered for your little brother." Kuroo had a pretend sad expression on his face, probably trying to be dramatic. "You must care for your brother very much."

"I care for all my brothers," said Yamaguchi, the crowd seemed to like his answer. To tell the truth, the Capitol citizens were easily impressed. Yamaguchi didn't know how to continue. What was he supposed to say?

"So, tell us about a little bit about your family," Kuroo asked quickly, seeing Yamaguchi couldn't find the words. Even though Kuroo looked like a dubious person, he wasn't a bad guy. He managed to get every tribute to talk and asked the right questions that helped the tributes.     

Though he was about to answer the question, Yamaguchi remembered Oikawa's advice. "We have a cat."

Kuroo did seem to like the subject. "Oh, really, I love cats!"

"He was actually adopted by one of my younger brothers," said Yamaguchi. "It's a black cat with yellow eyes. Shoyo named it Kenma."

"Well, we can all agree that it's a weird name for a cat," laughed Kuroo. "Then again, I called mine Yaku."

"I guess we are on the same boat," Yamaguchi forced a laugh, pretending to be amused as the crowd giggled. It seemed like the interview went well.

"You are a good boy," said Kuroo, "you probably have a girl waiting at you back home."

"Actually, I don't." Why couldn't Kuroo just keep talking about cats? Even the audience liked that stupid topic.

"What do you know? You hear that ladies, another wanted bachelor," announced Kuroo. 'Since when I'm a wanted bachelor?' thought Yamaguchi.

"I guess you do have someone you like," Kuroo continued. Yamaguchi was taken aback.

"Well, I do," admitted Yamaguchi, feeling his face reddened. He remembered Tsukishima's interview and expected to be investigated about his love life.

However, Kuroo unexpectedly grinned and said: "I guess because you are in the Games, you won't have an easy time. I wish you the best luck, star crossed lovers."

 

Yamaguchi didn't stay for Tomoda's interview. He didn't care. _I wish you the best luck, star crossed lovers._ Those words echoed in his mind. Kuroo said the same thing to Tsukishima, which was a weird coincidence.

As Yamaguchi was walking to his room, to clear his mind, Oikawa chased him. He was surprisingly fast and caught up to Yamaguchi before the latter reached the elevator. "Wait a minute, Yama-chan."

Yamaguchi stopped. "Sorry, but I don't feel like talking right now."

"There is something you need to know," said Oikawa. "I just didn't tell you because I knew you would warn your friend."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is I told your mentor about you relations with the other tribute."

"What exactly did you say to him?"

"I told him what you told me. He thought it could help if you confessed during the interviews to get the audience's love. I know Kuroo since high-school, so I told him to talk to you about that subject. I had no idea he was going to bring that up in your friend's interview."

Yamaguchi didn't believe what he heard. It was just too much. Yamaguchi didn't feel like telling the whole world about his feeling for his friend. The only people who knew about his feelings for Tsukishima were his brothers only. Even though now he knew his feeling weren't one-sided, he still didn't want Tsukishima to know he was in love with him. The only reason Yamaguchi told Oikawa about his history was because Oikawa was one of the people who was going through this game with him- even though the stylist didn't participate the Games. Furthermore, the idea his feeling were used as some sort of a strategy wasn't appealing.

"Don't get angry at your mentor," said Oikawa. "He was just thinking about what's the best for both of you."

"I'm not sure I want to see him," said Yamaguchi honestly. "What would you say to him?"

"I don't know," answered Oikawa," all I can tell you is it's a show. Get used to the idea you will betray your morals more than once. Tomorrow you'll the day of the evaluations; you'll have to trust him."

 

 

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima avoided each other the following day. Yamaguchi prepared himself for the evaluations while Tsukishima was simply watching the other tributes training. Ukai told it was the best not to reveal everything during the trainings, so Yamaguchi simply went to the corner, where there was the station learning about plants. There wasn't much he didn't know yet, but it kept him from talking to Tsukishima.

Time passed by and it was time for evaluations. Yamaguchi waited nervously to his turn, since he was the last one. Tsukishima was the forth one to enter the room. Yamaguchi didn't know what happened inside, but Tsukishima came out with his regular aloof facial expression, making Yamaguchi believe everything went alright for the taller boy.

The little girl from District 11 went inside, followed by her companion. Tomoda entered, probably showed off her fighting skills. When she got out, Yamaguchi could see she was upset. "Good luck freckles," she said to him. "Those bastards couldn't care less about District 12."

A little bit shaking, Yamaguchi entered the room. It looked like the training room, only without the other tributes throwing knives at targets. There was a small stage above the room where the game makers were watching from. They looked bored; obviously watching all the tributes became tedious at some point. They ignored him at first, and Yamaguchi didn't know how to draw their attention.

"Excuse me?" he said politely. They stopped their talk and turned their faces towards him. He introduced himself. "I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi of District 12".

There were different types of weapons and station he could choose from, but he already knew where he had to go. Right next to him there was a stand for a bow and arrows. He picked up the bow and one of those arrows. He walked to the target and stood in front of it. He was nervous, he could feel it. All eyes were on him, watching his moves, judging him. He had to this perfectly; otherwise his rank would be low. He knew a low score meant fewer sponsors. He was a hunter; he couldn't possibly fail, right?

He shot the arrow. He missed. He could hear the game makers laugh at him. He took another arrow, but he missed again and so the third and the forth one. He turned to the game makers, only to find out they were no longer looking at him. It was embarrassing and Yamaguchi felt humiliated.

At that moment he couldn't help but loathing the Games. It was, just like Oikawa said, a show, nothing more than a slaughter festival. Many lost their relatives in the Games. Even Tanaka's older biological sister died in the Games when she was chosen as a tribute. Tsukishima's older brother was also chosen for the Games, and won, but he came back as a different person. Because of the reaping he was now forced to kill the person he loved to save his own life. It was an extravagant show.

He heard the judges mocking him. Without realizing his actions, he took the last arrow in the stand and without thinking; he shot the arrow towards one of the judges, whom he recognized as the man who was in charge of the Games. The arrow flew next to his face, resulting a small scratch on his cheek- the Capitol wasn't in favor of scratches. They all stared at him with their eyes wide open.

Yamaguchi realized what he had done and quickly put the bow down. "I'm sorry," he said. "Thanks for your attention." He ran away from the area, leaving everyone stunned.

 

Tomoda and Oikawa couldn't stop laughing hearing the story. Ukai, however, wasn't so happy. "Are you stupid? Do you realize what you have done?!"

"What were you thinking?" asked Shimizu.

"I'll tell what he was thinking- he wasn't!"

"Calm down," said Oikawa. "All they want is a good show. Yama-chan was more than happy to provide one."

"I thought I would be the one who would kill someone," said Tomoda, wiping a tear from her face.

"I can't believe I did that," Yamaguchi never felt so stupid in his entire life.

"They didn't kill you right on spot," said Oikawa," I think you impressed them."

They were sitting in the living room, waiting for the moment the scores would be announced. They didn't have to wait long. The screen was turned on, showing Kuroo's face. He was wearing another sparkly suit, only it was green this time. Whoever was in charge for his wardrobe is either one of the Capitol's biggest designers or someone who should get fired.

"And now it's time to announce the scores of the tributes." Kuroo slowly began to read the scores. The male tribute of District 1 received a 10. Tsukishima received an 11, almost the highest score. Yamaguchi expected nothing less. Yamaguchi didn't pay much attention to the other tributes- almost all of them received high scores- until Kuroo announced the results for District 11. "Yachi Hitoka-7," a low score, but good for a girl in her age. Her companion, Ennoshita Chikara, received 9, as same as Tomoda.

"That's it?" she was clearly disappointed.

"It's a good score, we can work with it," said Shimizu.

"And the last one," Kuroo announced, "is Yamaguchi Tadashi- 12."

Yamaguchi couldn't hear what Kuroo kept saying. Needless to say, everyone in the room was surprised and amazed at the same time. Tomoda muttered something under her breath, something not so nice probably.

"I need to go," Yamaguchi stood up. He ran out of his room, trying to look for Tsukishima. He ran down the lobby until he reached his friend's room. He knocked on the door, but the one who opened the door was Tsukishima's mentor. He had short curly black hair that looked a little bit messy and he also wore glasses. "Hello, is Tsukishima here?"

"No," said the man with a kind smile. "He left the room after they announced the scores."

 

Getting a high rank meant a better chance to get sponsors, but a score too high meant becoming a target. It was after all his punishment for what he had done. During the trainings, all the tributes looked at him differently. He didn't like it.

Tsukishima kept avoiding him, which was tiresome at some point. The days went by quickly, and the day of the Games was around the corner. There were many things Yamaguchi would like to say, but Tsukishima didn't even glare at his direction.

He went up to the rooftop where Yamaguchi and Tsukishima met for the first time since they came to the Capitol. He was alone there, looking at the view for the last. He used to it in the woods, with one of his brothers or alone, looking at the trees and enjoy the silence. That evening was actually loud, as some Capitol citizens decided to make a party.

Yamaguchi wished he could be stuck in that moment forever. It was silent, he could stay there for hours without fearing one might kill him and he could forget the danger he was in.

He closed his eyes, almost fell asleep. He heard footsteps. "If you fall asleep here, you'll die before the Games."

"It's better than dying in the Games," Yamaguchi answered depressed.

He looked up at Tsukishima, who was surprised to hear those words from him. "I'm sorry," Yamaguchi sighed and got up. "It's just-"

"No, you're right," said Tsukishima. "It's the best if we stop talking to one another."

"What- no!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Yamaguchi yelled. "But," his voice softened, "I don't want to lose you."

"You realize that in some point one of us will betray the other?"

"Why do you give up so easily?!" It was the first time Yamaguchi raised his voice, but he wasn't going to back down. "Yes, we are sent to the Hunger Games, but are you going to surrender fast? At least think about your own life, because it looks like you've already given up on that too."

"I'm just stating facts," Tsukishima looked unfazed by Yamaguchi's words. "If we are the last ones to survive, they won't let us both live."

"Can't you have a little faith in me?"

Suddenly Tsukishima kissed him. As surprised as Yamaguchi was in the beginning, the freckled boy kissed the boy back, wrapping his arms around the latter's neck. It was a sweet and passionate kiss at the same time. Yamaguchi could feel Tsukishima's tongue dancing behind his lips and it felt great. The broke the kiss in order to catch their breaths.

"It's exactly because I have faith in you that I'm worried about," Tsukishima said. "And because you've faith in me, even after what happened."

"I don't want to kill you, Kei."

"I don't want to kill you too, Tadashi."

And they kissed again, this time as if it were their last kiss.

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last scene was so cheesy... I couldn't find a good metaphor. I just had to add fluff before the actual games...  
> Next chpater, they are sent to the arena. Expect more fluff (and death) in the future.
> 
> Please leace a review! :)


	5. Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi and Tsukishima are sent to the arena. Yamaguchi runs in an endless race to save his life and everything goes wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ~ I know it had been a while and I honestly thought it would be a longer chapter, but a lot of shit happens, so...
> 
> Like I said before, I take some stuff from the HG books, but not everything. I even change it a little bit.
> 
> My little kouhai isn't feeling well, so I dedicate this chapter to her. :)

They lied side by side under the stars. It could have been a mistake, but they didn't notice the time passing by. At some point at the evening everything became quite and the city went to sleep. When the city's light turned off, they could see the starlight. They didn't do anything, except talking like they did in the forests of District 2.

"You did what?" Tsukishima sounded surprised.

"I almost killed the game makers," Yamaguchi answered casually.

"I can't believe you did something so stupid."

"You underestimate me."

"It's because of your brothers; you hang out with them too much. You caught their stupidity."

"I can't help it, I live in the same house they live, you know. Besides, they are not stupid. Not all of them. Tobio is a genius, for example."

"Which one is it? The one who said he would marry volleyball?"

"He was four."

"Still doesn't sound like a genius to me if you ask."

Yamaguchi laughed. They could lie like that forever, in their own bubble. He wondered if there was another place or another universe they could. What if they were born in another place? What if they were born in a different period?

"Hey, Tsuki," the freckled boy started, but didn't finish.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just thought about something stupid."

 

"When the Games start, remember the advice- hey, are listening to me?"

The time has arrived. Before they were sent to the arena, they were given a short moment with their mentors. Ukai chose to escort Yamaguchi to the aircraft, giving him last piece of advice, but Yamaguchi was too distracted. "Yes," he said quietly.

"No matter what, don't run to the Cornucopia. All the other tributes would try that, it's going to turn into a bloodbath," Ukai said. "You can build a bow, so you should be fine. Also, find a source of water, water is your new friend."

Yamaguchi nodded. They stepped outside where an aircraft waited for the tributes. Yamaguchi was about to go, but he was stopped by his mentor. "You'll be fine, kid."

"Thanks," mumbled Yamaguchi.

There were two rows of seats, but not enough for all the tributes. The Capitol probably planned to send more than one aircraft. Tsukishima was there. Yamaguchi sat in front of his friend. They didn't speak; there was enough tension in the air.

 

Each year the tributes were sent to Games with different outfits. That year they simply were a tight black suit. It was actually good, the freckled boy thought, since he could move easily. "This looks good on you, Yama-chan," said Oikawa.

"That doesn't really bother me," the boy said honestly.

Oikawa helped him to fix the collar, revealing a golden pin. It was a golden mockingjay; the same one Tanaka gave him. "Is that-?"

Oikawa winked. "It's our little secret."

"Thank you," said Yamaguchi, "for everything."

The stylist shrugged. "It's just a part of my job."

There was a small round ramp where Yamaguchi had to step up, which would go up and sent him to the arena. A female's voice announced they had 30 seconds left. Suddenly Yamaguchi got cold feet. He didn't want to go. He was too nervous. He was afraid.

Oikawa put a comforting hand on Yamaguchi's shoulder. "If I could bet, I would bet on you."

"I can't do this," Yamaguchi admitted out loud. 20 seconds left.

"A person who is brave enough to volunteer can defiantly win the Games," said Oikawa. "Remember that."

Yamaguchi nodded and slowly walked to the ramp. 8 seconds left. Suddenly glass surrounded him, not allowing him to escape.  It was about time.

 

He took a quick look at the arena. It was a forest, full of tall trees, flowers and plants. It was a beautiful place, Yamaguchi thought. Unfortunately, he wasn't there to enjoy the view. All the tributes waited patiently. Tomoda stood next to him, her eyes set on the Cornucopia, clearly ignoring her mentor's advice. Tsukishima looked as if he was also ready to run to the Cornucopia too. There were bags and supplements, including weapons, in the Cornucopia. Yamaguchi thought he could come back later, to check if anything left.

Sixty seconds left to the beginning. It was the longest minute Yamaguchi ever waited. He started to sweat, his body was shaking. He had to run to the woods fast enough, hoping no one would follow him. The seconds went by; his heart was beating faster and faster.

45 seconds. He looked over the tributes from District 11. The little girl was about to cry, though she tried to hide it. She shouldn't be there.

30 seconds. Tsukishima didn't look at him. The night before they decided not to make an alliance. It was for the best. In the end, their paths would cross and still they weren't sure what they would do.

15 seconds.

10 seconds.

3, 2, 1- Most of the tributes ran straight to the Cornucopia, Yamaguchi headed the other way. He barely ran few steps and he heard the cannons. Every time a tribute died, the game makers shot the cannon to let other tributes know. No one knew the identity of the dead tribute until the end of the day. Yamaguchi looked back and saw someone's head smashed against one of the boxes in the Cornucopia. It terrified him. Sure no one was going to waste their time.

Yamaguchi reached the woods. He ran as fast as he could. Forests weren't strange to him and he kept going. He looked for a source of water. As he was running, he heard the cannon were fired 4 more times. It wasn't surprising; most of the tributes die on the first day.

Out of the blue, and a knife flew next to him, hitting the tree in front of him. Yamaguchi quickly stopped and turned around. A tribute already found him. And she didn't look like she was about to spare his life. He didn't have anything to protect himself with. He did the only thing he could do- running away.

The red haired girl ran after him, and she was fast. He tripped and hit the ground hard. The girl, who was a tribute from District 8, took advantage of the situation and threw another knife. Yamaguchi managed to dodge that knife and took it. He got up and prepared himself for the worst.

"Come here, freckles," she said, grinning.

She was eager to fight, Yamaguchi wasn't. He knew that at some point he would have to kill someone, he just didn't think it would be so early. He really didn't want to kill that girl, though she was more than ready to stab him.

He hesitated, but she didn't. She threw herself at him, aiming the knife to his heart probably. He moved aside. Yamaguchi may have been very thin, but he had athletic skills, probably due to the fact he used to play volleyball with his siblings.

She tried to put in a physical fight, but Yamaguchi was taller and stronger. He could block her attacks. He didn't want to hit her, but then she tried to punch in his stomach, he made her tremble. He was mostly on defense. She tried to attack him few times again, but her efforts were useless. At some point they both got tired.

"I honestly thought you'd be an easy target," she said.

"And I honestly don't want to hurt you," said Yamaguchi.

"Well, aren't you a little angel."

She wasn't going to give up, but she suddenly looked surprised. Yamaguchi didn't want to turn around, afraid it was just a trick. But when she started running away, he took the risk. Sometimes, to get the Games a little bit more exiting to the audience, they decide to take control over and make sure the show goes on. This time, to spice things up, they created a fire, which seemed weird. They just had began the Games, why would they interfere now? Did they want to gather the tributes together already?

He didn't give that much thought though, as the fire quickly ahead his way. Though tired, he ran as fast as he could to save his life. The girl who tried to murder him earlier was ahead, now it seemed as if he was chasing her. As they were running for their lives, it was her who suddenly fell down; her leg was caught in the roots of a tree, making it harder for her to elope. Yamaguchi didn't notice her at first, but after he passed her, he realized something was wrong.

He knew it could be foolish, but Yamaguchi ran back to help her. However, the fire reached her first. He was close, so close, but he heard her screaming in horror as the fire didn't simply burn her, but consumed her, eating her with one bite. Despite the awful sight, Yamaguchi was once again running for his life, knowing that in 3 seconds he would share the same fate as the new dead tribute.

Luck was by his side as he reached a small river. The fire seemed to stop at some point, probably because it was satisfied with its victim. He took a deep breath, glad he survived that horrible attack. He washed his face and drank the water. He felt sharp pain in his leg. Since the adrenaline in his blood started to fade, he noticed he was burned, probably because he came back for-

He didn't even know her name. He hadn't paid much attention to her, she wasn't important. She wasn't important to the Capitol. For them she was just a character they either cheered, loathed or someone they simply didn't care about. She was playing the game. She did what she had to do. He didn't want to play the game. Now, he felt responsible for her execution, as if he was the one who set the fire. If she killed him, would the game makers still light that fire?

He heard a voice. A group of tributes, more precisely. 'I just can't catch a break,' he thought to himself. The group of tributes found him. Suddenly, Yamaguchi knew why the game makers set that fire. He couldn't run into the worst group of people- the careerists. They were only three, a boy and two girls, Yamaguchi wasn't eager to know where the others were. He got up again. He began to run, but they weren't in a hurry to catch him. In fact, one of the girls smiled.

As he was running, his stamina was strong apparently, he ran into someone's back. Before he could see who it was, the person pushed and pinned him against the near tree, taking the breath out of his lungs and held a knife down his throat. He didn't open his eyes; he didn't want to face his killer. It was a trap. He thought he was running from the careerists, but the truth was they led him to them.

He heard the person mutters a curse. "Crap, that's you."

Yamaguchi opened his eyes, only to stare at a pair of familiar golden eyes.

Sawada, who was next to them along with his fellow tribute from District 1, smirked. "What are you waiting for, Tsukishima? We caught an easy prey."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I create OCs for this? So I wouldn't have to burn a charcter alive- I kinda love them all (except Tsukishima, he is my least favorite, though not hated).
> 
> So now we have Tsukishima cooperating with the careerists, good luck for him to find a way to solve this problem. 
> 
> Please leave a review :)


	6. Lovers' Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi knows how to get in trouble and Tsukishima is there to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written for my kouhai, Nat-chan, who after monthes of reading my Haikyuu!! fanfiction, decided to finally watch it! (Though she claims she doesn't like Yamaguchi, but at the beginning, they do barely show him or his awesomeness :\\).

Yamaguchi never imagined Tsukishima would become an ally of the careerist, but apparently he was wrong. If Tsukishima spared his life, the careerists would kill him on the spot, both of them. Tsukishima moved his lips, but no voice came out. Yet, Yamaguchi knew what he was trying to say. 'Run'.

Tsukishima let loose a little bit from his grip. Tsukishima turned to answer, giving Yamaguchi a great advantage. He understood the plan. 'Sorry, Tsuki,' he thought as he punched Tsukishima. Maybe he could simply push him away, but he had to make it look realistic. Also, the feeling of cold metal against his skin wasn't very pleasant. Nonetheless, he could always apologize later.

He ran, forcing his legs to keep moving. He heard Sawada yelling at Tsukishima, and then the group of 6 ran after him. Getting sick and tired of running away, Yamaguchi decided to climb on of the trees. It was times like this Yamaguchi was glad he spent a lot of times in the woods. He climbed fast and he was halfway to the top when the group reached him.

One of the tributes pulled a bow from her backpack and arrows. "Oh look," she aimed at him. "I think I see something interesting to hunt." Yamaguchi looked down, nervous.

"Wait," he heard Tsukishima. "You are not aiming right."

"Considering the fact you just let that weakling run away, I don't think we need your opinion," said Sawada.

"You all saw me during the training- I know how to use a bow."

Tsukishima helped her, but only managed to get Yamaguchi confused. The bow was too close to her, she wouldn't be able to shoot. Tsukishima was trying to help him, but Yamaguchi was afraid the other careerists would realize that. He still climbed. He reached to a wide branch and decided to stop there. He saw arrows around scattered.

"I thought you knew how to use a bow," the tribute said angrily to Tsukishima.

"I know how to use a bow, you just suck at it. Don't blame me for your failure," he simply said.

"Which one of us will go up there?" asked Sawada.

"We don't need to go up there, we can just wait here. He has nowhere to go, nor any weapons with him. He will have to come down, eventually."

 

Yamaguchi took the time to rest. The careerists waited patiently for him to come down, even setting a fire. They set around it and just talked, like regular teenagers who hang out. Yamaguchi could easily forget they were on the arena. He looked at his leg. The burn was just a little bit above the ankle and it hurt. It was getting colder and he was reminded he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

A small parachute was falling down; a small box was attached to it. It landed next to Yamaguchi. He knew there it came from. If the sponsors like you, they help you and send everything you need to the arena. There was a note. "Apply generously- U." It was an ointment for his burn. Doing as he was told to do, he felt a lot better. He also wanted a blanket, but his mentor couldn't read his mind.

Everyone fell asleep, except for Tsukishima. Yamaguchi didn't look at him. He couldn't do it. He had no idea, not a single clue, how they would avoid facing each other. If Yamaguchi came down, he would die. They wouldn't wait forever. At some point, they would get tired of waiting. One of them would climb the tree and kill him because Yamaguchi couldn't kill.

The anthem was playing. It was end of the first day and the announcement of the first tributes that died. He looked through the pictures of the tributes. There were nine of them. Tomoda was one of them, she didn't make it. Yamaguchi didn't know her much. To him all she was to him was a bully. She was mean, but she didn't deserve to die.

His grieve didn't last for a long time. He felt something hitting him. He didn't get a chance to look at the item, but when he looked down, he saw Tsukishima was climbing. He wasn't much fast, but he did try to be quite. Yamaguchi stared at him, confused. Tsukishima almost reached the branch Yamaguchi was sitting on. Yamaguchi moved to make space. Tsukishima didn't come empty handed. He had a rope with him and a small bag of which Yamaguchi couldn't see the inside.

"What are you doing?" asked Yamaguchi. "What if they-"

"They won't catch us if you'll be quite!"

"Sorry, Tsuki."

"Now, was there a reason to punch me in the stomach?"

"You almost cut my throat."

Even in the darkness, under the starlight, Yamaguchi could see Tsukishima doing something uncharacteristic. Tsukishima smiled.  "They sleep like logs. Anyway, why the hell are you empty handed?"

"My mentor suggested me not to run to the Cornucopia," Yamaguchi said. "He said it would be a blood bath."

"He was right, though." Tsukishima gave him the rope. "Here, I know you'll fall in your sleep."

Yamaguchi accepted the gift. "Thanks."

"I better get going." He said.

"Wait, already?" Yamaguchi didn't want him to leave. It was a terrible day and having Tsukishima around him was a comfort- knowing Tsukishima and he stayed alive on the first day was a comfort.

"Hey, I didn't come here to have a chit chat with you. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't do something stupid like falling off the tree in your sleep."

Yamaguchi saddened, he really wanted Tsukishima to stay a little longer. As Tsukishima was climbing down, he threw the bag at Yamaguchi. The freckled teen looked inside and saw a small piece of bread.

"It's from my sponsors," explained Tsukishima. "I noticed you hadn't eaten anything. Don't starve to death on your first day."

"Thanks, Tsuki!" said Yamaguchi, excited.

Tsukishima hushed him. "Do you want to wake them up and kill both of us?"

"Sorry, Tsuki…"   

 

Yamaguchi woke up the next day a little bit bewildered. His body was hurt and he couldn't remember why he was tied to a tree during the night, though he was sober. Quickly, he reminded himself he was in the arena and he survived the first night. He untied himself. The careerists were awake and they were getting impatient. He had no idea how to escape this dire situation. He couldn’t live on trees forever.

He heard someone calling him. The voice was weak, but it came from nearby and not from the group underneath. He looked around for the source. It was the little blonde girl from District 11. She hid herself so the careerists won't find her. It didn't seem like they noticed her in the first place. She was tiny and didn't make a lot of noise.

She pointed at something. It took him a few moments to see what she was referring to. It was a beehive. Obviously, it wasn't full of regular bees. They were mutations created by the Capitol. They used to change the genetics of animals to make them more dangerous. The sting of those bees could cause hallucinations and even death. He looked at her confused. She pointed at the beehive and moved her hand back and forth. He realized she was telling him to cut it.

At first, he couldn't figure out a reason to do so. It could be dangerous. However, it could also make the careerists run away, unless they wanted to die from a bee sting. Besides, Tsukishima was fast, so Yamaguchi was sure he'd escape. Yamaguchi wasn't sure how he'd do it and then he remembered the knife he took from the tribute that died from the fire. He took it out and started cutting branch. It didn't go unnoticed by the bees. One of them stung him in his hand and he felt the pain. Soon enough his vision started to blur. Yet, he continued. 'Just a little more,' he thought.

Another bee stung him; he felt mind wasn't clear anymore. He tried to fight it, to at least finish the job. And he managed to do so. The beehive fell down and the sound of angry bees woke up the group. Everybody got up immediately, started to run away. One of the tributes, a female tribute from District 1, trembled down. She begged for help, but nobody came back for her. He heard her screams, trying to fight, but all her efforts were in vein. He heard the cannon.

The bees were gone, so were the careerists, and Yamaguchi climbed down. Even with blurry vision he could see the swollen body of what once was the tribute of District 1- it was hard to recognize her face. Whereas everyone took their bags, hers was on the ground. The aircraft still didn't evacuate her body, so took the bag. He wanted to run away, find another place, but, he didn't think clearly. He couldn't walk straight. He couldn't figure out where he was. Then everything went black.

 

_He was surrounded by three taller classmates, the same bullies who always tormented him. Even though they were on a school trip, it didn't mean they would spare him._

_"Don't you think he looks a little bit skinny?" said one them, their leader. "We should help him strengthen up a little bit."_

_"You're right," agreed the shortest one in the group. They threw their bags at him. "Here, carry these for us."_

_He felt tears filling his eyes; he didn't know what to do._

_"He starts crying," the third one laughed._

_"Pathetic." It wasn't from the bullies. Confused, they looked behind. There was a tall blond kid wearing glasses, which looked down at them. Yamaguchi didn't know if the kid was talking to him or the bullies, but he looked confident. He looked at the bullies in eyes, he wasn't afraid of them. The bullies took their bags back, one of murmured, "Come on, let's get out of here."_

_Yamaguchi wiped his tears and looked at the other kid. He was about his age, in though he was a lot taller. All Yamaguchi could think about was how cool he was and that he wanted to be that kind of person._

Yamaguchi opened his eyes. The memory of his first meeting with Tsukishima made his mood a little bit darker. It wasn't the time for bringing up memories. He felt something was covering his body. He got up and noticed he was covered in leaves. He also wasn't alone.

"You finally woke up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short, but next chapter will be a- how to explain it? Imagine feeling good. You feel it all over your body, every bone, every nerve. Then suddenly the good, calm feeling turns into the worst pain you've ever felt, all over your body, every bone, every nerve. 
> 
> I will try to update as soon as possible! 
> 
> If you like it, please leave a review about it :)


	7. Deep In The Meadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi meets Yachi and the two bond quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although in this chapter their relationship was purely platonic, I also view it as a OTP (this fic is about TsukiYama, which is also my OTP).
> 
> I warn you, this chapter is tragic. 
> 
> (For Nat-chan, who always supports me)

Yachi Hitoka was a young girl with short blond hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was short, even for her age. She was a little clumsy, but very smart girl. She grew up in District 11, raised by her mother. She was a good girl who liked to smile. She also saved Yamaguchi's life. "Thank you," he said, though it didn't feel enough. "Sorry for the trouble."

"No need," she said. "Do you need anything? Water? Food?"

Yamaguchi hadn't eaten anything. When he woke up, he learned he was out of conscious for two days. It was a great deal of luck that both of them survived. He looked at the bag he took. There was a bow there and a few arrows. But no food supplies of any kind. "Yes, do you have anything to eat?"

"No," admitted Yachi."I did find these berries. They look delicious."

Yamaguchi looked at the berries. He tried to remember what Sugawara had taught him about plants, which was a little hard since he had a minor headache. "Did you eat any of these?"

"No, why? You think it's poisoned?" She was a little freaked out by the idea it might have been poisoned.

"No, they are just not ripe." He tried to get up. "I will go find us something."

"No," she said. "You don't feel well. I'll do this."

He had no clue why the little girl was eager to help him. Yamaguchi never planned to make an ally, maybe except Tsukishima, only because he wanted both of them to survive. Making an ally also meant betraying them. Yachi looked like a nice girl; Yamaguchi couldn't imagine her trying killing anyone. Furthermore, he didn't wish to kill her.

 

They were sitting by the fire. Yamaguchi didn't find any animals nearby but he did find some fruit. Yachi set a small fire and they sat by the fire. They were just sitting and eating their food and he was humming a song.

"You have a nice voice," she commented.

"Really? Thank you," he smiled.

"It's calming. Reminds of the time my mother sang me lullabies."

"I used to sing to my little brothers when they were smaller." Yamaguchi looked her. She was about the same age as Hinata. "They are the same age as you." Yeah, she could pass as his little sister.

They talked a little more, each one revealing more and more details about themselves. Despite the nice mood, there was something that bothered Yamaguchi. He was unconscious for two days, what meant he had no clue whatsoever about Tsukishima's whereabouts.

"Yachi-san?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?" For some reason, it was awkward to talk about Tsukishima next to Yachi.

"Of course," she said with a smile.

"Among the tributes that died in the last two days… was the male tribute from District 2 with them?"

"He is alive," said Yachi. "Also the other careerists too, though you'd like to hear he isn't with them."

Yamaguchi was a little bit surprised. "What do you mean he isn't with them?"

"After everyone ran away, he came back to make sure you were okay," explained Yachi. "He helped me bringing you to a safe place, but I didn't see him afterwards."

Yamaguchi couldn't help but smile.

"Do you love him?"

Yamaguchi was caught off guard again. "What do you mean by that?" he mumbled.

"You two seemed close, I thought you were friends. But after the interviews, Kuroo referred you both as star crossed lovers. I never knew that two men can have romantic relationship." Most people found that that was weird, but Yachi wasn't fazed by the idea.

Still Yamaguchi blushed. "Well, you see… umm… it's…" he couldn't find words to explain it to her. So far only his family members knew about his crush and they never judged one another.

"Did you two ever kissed?" Yachi asked in excitement.

Yamaguchi's faced reddened even more. "I don't think I can answer that question."

 

They decided they needed to find the way back to the Cornucopia since they were low on supplies. Finding the Cornucopia wasn't hard, but it was taken over by the careerist.  They weren't there except for one person who watched for the supplies.

"Don't you think it looks too easy?" Yachi said with suspicion.

"It does," he agreed. Why there was only one person to guard? He didn't even look that tough.

"I think it's surrounded by mines, but how will we find out?"

They both agreed that acting right away was a foolish idea. They needed to think of a plan.

"If we discover their trap, would it destroy the supply?" Yachi offered.

"What do you mean?" Yamaguchi was puzzled.

"I think they set a trap so either they have the supplies or no one gets it."

"That does make sense," he agreed. For a young girl, she was sure smart.

They decided it was the best to take the careerists' leverage. They set a rather simple plan. Yamaguchi would be the one who would destroy the supplies. Yachi would wait for him, making sure that everything went right. Since they calculated the chance one of the tributes would chase Yamaguchi, they would have three different meeting stations. Each station they would set a campfire, that would be lighten by Yachi, to let Yamaguchi know she was okay.

They finished setting the three stations. "All right, let's do this," Yachi said with a smile.

Yamaguchi nodded in agreement, picking up his bow and arrows. Before he left, he heard Yachi's voice giving him encouragement. "Good luck, Yamaguchi-kun."

"Good luck, Yacchan," he said. "Please stay safe. If anything goes wrong, just run away."

 

Yamaguchi checked the scene lay in front of him. There was only one who guarded the supplies; the location of the rest of the careerists was unknown. He stepped closer, close enough to see, but far enough to remain hidden. Shooting randomly wasn't a good idea, he figured that much, so he searched for a good spot. There were mostly boxes and a stack of bags.

There was a bag of apples, a rope prevented from the bag to collapse. If he could only reach that rope and cut it… Yamaguchi waited until the tribute would watch another section, maybe watching the supplies from the other side. He waited patiently. When the moment arrived, he shot an arrow. The arrow reached the distance, but it didn't cut the rope enough to tear it. He shot another arrow. He was closer, but still not enough.

Yamaguchi noticed another tribute, which ran towards the supplies. She grabbed a bag, and ran away. The careerist noticed her too and got distracted by chasing her. Yamaguchi seized that opportunity and shot a third arrow. It worked.

The apples began to fall down. As it was rolling on the floor, an apple activated the mines. It was an awful sound, so loud he lost his hearing at that moment. There was smoke everywhere. Yamaguchi saw the other careerists running towards the ruined place. Despite the fact he couldn't hear them- it was temporary, but it was scary at the moment; Yamaguchi could see furious Sawada yelling at the careerist who was supposed to watch for the supplies. The confused and frightened tribute tried to explain, but Sawada broke his neck before the former had the chance to speak.

Yamaguchi ran away. The first fire was lightened. Yamaguchi ran to the first meeting station. It was abandoned and no one followed him. Noticing a smock from the distance, that didn't belong to the explosion, he ran towards the second station. He was still not followed. He waited few moments for the third fire to be lightened. He began to feel worried.

He started walking fast towards the third station when he heard a voice screaming his name. Upon realizing Yachi was in trouble, he ran as fast as he could. He got scratches from the trees' branches, but he kept going, not losing speed. If Yachi was in trouble, he was ought to save her. She was too young to die. He was the one had the most risking part, not her.

However, when he reached the third station, it was too late. It was a female tribute from District 3, and she captured Yachi, holding a knife to her throat.

Yamaguchi took out and arrow, ready to shoot it. "Let her go," he threatened the tribute. Yachi started to cry.

"Why, so we all could stay alive and happy together?" the tribute smirked. "It's the Hunger Games. You can't save them, you must kill them. Such a simple rule that neither you nor that giant French fry can understand. So you'll kill me. Either way it will be us both or only me. You can't win the game if she lives. You can't win the game if he lives. If you can't win then you die."

Yamaguchi really didn't want to do this. Despite her words, Yamaguchi couldn't kill her. "What do you know?" The tribute sang. "Our cutie freckled face is afraid to kill."

"I will if I have no other choice," he tried to sound frightening, but his voice was shaken a bit. His body was shaking. He cursed himself, for Yachi looked at him with a hope in her eyes.

"Run," Yachi said. A terrifying smile that said she accepted her fate showed up on her face. "You can escape-"

The tribute cut her off and rolled her eyes. "I'm sick of this bullshit." Then she cut off the younger's throat. It was too quick, Yamaguchi reacted automatically. The arrow just flew and hit the careerist eye, what made her to let go of Yachi and collapse immediately.

Yamaguchi let go of the bow and hurried to catch Yachi before she fell down. The cut was too deep, she died at the moment. Despite that, blood still kept rushing out, like a waterfall. Yamaguchi put her on the ground genteelly, closing her eyes. Even at her death, she looked so full of life, so young. She told him about the times her mother read her stories about princesses, how she also wanted to become one, or to feel like one.

Knowing that in few moments an aircraft would evacuate her, he acted quickly. He blinked and water came down his cheeks- he didn't realize he was crying. He tried to surpass the tears. He looked around. Because they were in the forest, flowers grew in the arena. Because they were in artificial land, flowers that didn't belong to the place or season also grew there. He picked dark crimson roses, white lilies and purple hyacinths. He stacked them to make look like a bouquet. He went back to her body. He took her cold hands and put them on the middle of her torso, the bouquet between them. She looked like the sleeping princess in illustrations for children's book, ignoring the cut in her throat.

He remembered what she said about his voice. He sang her one last lullaby. "Deep in the meadow, under the willow tree…"

 

He couldn't control the tears. He wished he could save her; she was too young to die. She had a bright future. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be chosen for the Games. She had done nothing wrong.

He found a corner to hide but he couldn't stay there forever. Someone would find him. But where could he go? Yachi was gone. He lost Tsukishima. He didn't have a lot of options in the arena. Someone was bound to find him.

He heard a voice from above; it didn't take him a long time to understand it was a massage from the game makers.

_"Dear tributes,"_ the game maker announced, _"This year, we have decided to change the rules a bit. This year, we will allow two victors, as long as both tributes aren't injured."_

He knew what he had to do. He had to Tsukishima. They could survive the game together, there was still hope. Yamaguchi wiped his tears. He could still make it, they could still make it.

The only thing left to do was to find Tsukishima; hopefully neither of them dies in the meantime.               

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was hard to hard the chapter. I didn't expect it would affect my mood. I actually love Yachi, she is so precious. 
> 
>  
> 
> Please leave a review!


	8. Stupid Things You Do For Your Loved Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima unexpectedly opens up. The two get to spend some quality time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm updating slowly! But I do plan to finish this. As long as it takes, this fic will be finished.  
> I have to admit I thought this fic would be longer than ten chapters. Didn't know I wrapped evertthing quickly.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the new chapter. 
> 
> (As always, dedicated to Nat-chan).

The moment Yamaguchi found Tsukishima; the freckled teen ran towards the blond and hugged him. "I'm so glad I've found you," he cried. Tsukishima and he were alive. There was still hope.

"I can't breathe," said Tsukishima. Yamaguchi let go, mumbling an apology.

After letting go he noticed blood was running down Tsukishima's leg. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I just ran into a tribute," admitted Tsukishima. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Yamaguchi checked whether he had some bandages or a first aid kit. He failed to find anything. It didn't mean there was nothing he could do. There were useful herbs around; he could try to find something-

"Let's find a safe place first," said Tsukishima, as if he was reading Yamaguchi's mind. Yamaguchi agreed.

 

They found a small cave, not far from the place they have found each other. Yamaguchi looked through Tsukishima's bag in order to find something he could use. He found a piece of blanket and ripped it. 'This should work for now,' he thought to himself. He attended Tsukishima's wound.

"You're good at this," said the blond.

"One of my older brothers taught me." Though he never thought he would use the information Sugawara had taught him, Yamaguchi was glad he paid attention.

"Thanks," Tsukishima mumbled.

Tsukishima leaned against the wall, Yamaguchi joining him. They were now together, safe for the night at least. "I can't believe we made it so far," declared Yamaguchi. "I thought I would die on the first day."

Tsukishima snorted. "And you say I give up quickly."

"Well, you do," Yamaguchi reminded him. Tsukishima never put much effort at anything- then again, he had a natural talent for almost everything. "Also, you almost cut my throat."

"You were the one who ran towards the careerist," Tsukishima teased. "You asked for it. Besides, it was nice to push you against the tree."

Yamaguchi blushed. "Fine, but do it without the knife next time, please."

"Note taken."

Yamaguchi sat by Tsukishima's side, so close there was no space between them. Yamaguchi laid his head on Tsukishima's shoulder, the latter didn't protest. Yamaguchi thought about the announcement that was made earlier that day. They could both get out live. Tsukishima's wound didn't seem serious, he could heal fast. They would get out and maybe live together. He would like to introduce his family to Tsukishima. He was sure they would get along, at least with the older brothers.

"What do you want to do when the games are over?" asked Yamaguchi.

"What do you mean?"

"They said there could be two winners this year. It's our chance to survive both of us."

"Do you really believe this? They have no reason to keep two tributes alive." Tsukishima's voice was monotone, making him sound as if he didn't care.

"Well, I do," Yamaguchi looked at him incredulous. "I want to believe we can do this together. I don't want to lose you."

"You will have to eventually." Hearing Tsukishima's words Yamaguchi held his head high and looked at his friend. What was he trying to say?

"Kei, you know I won't do that," Yamaguchi was determined.

"I know, I will do it for you."

Yamaguchi looked at him with eyes open wide. "You won't have to-"

Tsukishima cut him off. "You weren't supposed to be here even. I was picked, you volunteered. This wasn't the way we were supposed to meet after the reaping. The moment I saw you before the Parade, was the moment I knew I wasn't fighting to stay alive so I could see you later. I was fighting to keep you alive. I knew you could deal with other districts, so I joined the careerists- that way I could somehow control them."

Yamaguchi never knew this was how Tsukishima felt. He knew the blond cared about him; he knew it without Tsukishima having saying it out loud. Because this was how he felt himself. However, Tsukishima and he thought about to different case of scenarios. Whereas Yamaguchi thought about both of them together, Tsukishima had a realistic point of view of the situation.

"Kei…" he whispered.

"No, don't. Just, don't. This is why you are the one who deserves who survive. You think about life. You'll be able to move on without me. You have home to return to-"

Yamaguchi couldn't hear it anymore. "Why are you so eager to die?" He heard himself yelling. "Why can't you at least think about yourself? You have a family too! Your brother does care about you. You want to miss the chance to make peace with him? Your parents are waiting for you. You're handsome and popular and you won't have a hard time finding someone to spend your rest of your life with. You also have reasons to live, so don't give up on your life!"

Yamaguchi stopped and breathed heavily. He needed to say those words out loud. If he didn't want to give up on Tsukishima, why would Tsukishima give up on himself?

Tsukishima at first stared at Yamaguchi shocked. Then he smiled. "I tend to forget you're cool sometimes."

"What?" Yamaguchi blinked few times.

"You're cool," repeated Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi's face turned red. It could be a moment that could bring them closer, if it wasn't for the sudden growling voice. Yamaguchi realized he hadn't eaten anything since morning, Tsukishima probably either. They didn't have food, only water. "I'm going to find us something to eat."

"Don't die."

 

It didn't take long until he found something. Actually, the sponsors were the ones who helped him. There were two parachutes, one for him and one for Tsukishima. Yamaguchi thank the sponsors, grabbed the new supplies and went back to the cave.

"That was quick," pointed Tsukishima.

"Thank the sponsors." Yamaguchi set beside Tsukishima and opened one of the gifts. Inside there was soup, warm and it smelled good. "Here," he offered it to Tsukishima, "you need it more than I do."

"You eat it," commended Tsukishima. "You're the one who is hungry."

"You're the one who is injured," insisted Yamaguchi. "You can leave me the leftovers."

"I don't really like soup that much," Tsukishima signed him to eat first.

Yamaguchi searched for a spoon and realized there were two. He read the latter that was attached to the parachute out loud. "Focus on a different Hunger Games, T.I." It was probably Tsukishima's mentor.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Tsukishima gave up.

They ate to together their dinner, together. They both surpassed their hunger. Yamaguchi looked at the other parachute. There were bandages inside, new and clean. There was a note attached, this time from his mentor. "Good luck, lover boy, U.K."

Yamaguchi wasted no time and changed the bloody blanket that was used as a bandage. "This won't be enough."

Suddenly, as if the game makers could read his mind, they have made an announcement. _"Dear tributes, as you're all out of supplies, we opened our hearts and decided to give each tribute what he needs. Tomorrow at noon, there would supplement waiting for you at the cornucopia."_

"Did you hear that, Kei? It's a great-"

"NO," Tsukishima said firmly. "You're not going."

"Why not? In case you haven't noticed, you need the help," Yamaguchi fired back.

"It's a trap. Do you think all the tributes would just meet happily with each other?"

Yamaguchi had to admit he never thought about it before. "But still, they might give you a first aid kit or something."

"Don't go," Tsukishima asked from him. "It's too dangerous."

"I won't." Yamaguchi lied to Tsukishima. He would definitely go. Tsukishima wasn't the only one who was ready to take risk for the other. Yamaguchi leaned down and gave Tsukishima a soft kiss on the lips. "Don't worry."

 

Yamaguchi woke up together with the sun. Last night, he literally fell asleep on Tsukishima, using the poor man's body as a pillow. He wanted to apologize, but Tsukishima was still sleeping soundlessly. Tsukishima was also on Yamaguchi back, as if telling him it was okay to lay his head on the taller man's torso. It felt nice and Yamaguchi lingered on that feeling just one more moment. He smelled Tsukishima's scent. He wished he could stay forever like that.

But he didn't know when Tsukishima would wake up. He slowly got up, pressed a kiss on Tsukishima's forehead and took his bow and arrows before he left. He reached the cornucopia, or what's left of it, but he didn't go immediately. He waited patiently and scanned the area. As it was promised, there were five bags, each with different numbers on them. Yamaguchi ignored bad number 12 and looked at number 2, the one that was addressed to Tsukishima.

No one showed up yet. Maybe they were hiding, just like Yamaguchi was. So he decided to take a leap of faith and run as fast as he could. He grabbed the bag that belonged to Tsukishima, and started running back.

Nevertheless, the odds weren't on his favor. Right in front of him the female tribute from District 2, who, without a notice, jumped at him. He dodged her. He noticed the knife she held in her hand. She was as tall as him, she wouldn't go down easily.

"Give me the bag," she demanded.

"Why? It isn't meant for you," he answered.

She threw the knife towards his face, so he ducked. She took the advantage of the situation and pushed him down on the ground. Next thing he knew, she was on the top of him, trying to stab him with a different knife. He still tried to stop her. He managed to move her hand, resulting the knife cutting his cheek, but it was only a scratch. She pulled the knife from the ground and tried to aim again. This time, Yamaguchi simply made her stop before the knife went through his eye.

She smiled. "Why won't you start begging like you little friend did? She was crying like the little girl she was. She knew you wouldn't safe her, what made us killing her more fun. Honestly, it wasn't hard at all." Yamaguchi felt his anger fueling his blood.

But he didn't get the chance to show his anger. Someone pulled the girl from him. The guy held the girl by her neck, an angry expression on his face as she was begging for her life. Yamaguchi knew who that tribute was.

"What did you say about killing Yachi?" Ennoshita yelled.

"I never said anything," the girl mumbled, tears coming out her eyes. She started begging again, but Ennoshita broke her neck and killed her. Yamaguchi heard the sound of the cannons and saw Ennoshita looking at him.

"This one was for Yachi," he said before going away, sparing Yamaguchi's life.

 

When Yamaguchi came back to the cave, he expected Tsukishima to yell at him. It was exactly what happened too. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I got you the medicine," announced Yamaguchi.

He took out an ointment that was probably the same as the ointment he got for his burn. He revealed Tsukishima's wound, took a generous amount of ointment and applied it on Tsukishima's wound. The affects were quick to come. Tsukishima moved his previous injured leg.

"How are you feeling?" asked Yamaguchi.

"Like I never got an injury," he said, impressed. He took the ointment from Yamaguchi's hand aggressively, and took some of it too. "You managed to injure yourself." Tsukishima applied some ointment on Yamaguchi's forgotten injury.

"It's just a scratch," said Yamaguchi shyly. But Tsukishima touched him gently, making Yamaguchi shiver. The games brought Tsukishima's nice side outside of him. Tsukishima opened up a lot during the Games. He was the type of person who kept his thoughts for himself and only rarely showed affection. He was the type of person whose affection was shown in a special way, not only by words.

He wished Tsukishima didn't feel like he had to do this because of the Games. He wished Tsukishima would open up by his own pace. It was all because of the Hunger Games. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Yamaguchi sat on Tsukishima's lap, Tsukishima's arms wrapping his arms around Yamaguchi. "Do you think there is an alternative universe for us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think there is a universe where we don't have to fight to kill each other? A universe where we are just two regular teenagers who go to school together?"

"Technically we do go to school… just on different districts… Besides, how different would it be from what it is now?"

Yamaguchi lingered on that dream. "Well, first of all, we won't be sent to a game where we have to kill each other in order to win. We would meet the same way. We will become best friends. We will play volleyball too!"

"Volleyball?" Tsukishima questioned.   

"Yeah, my family plays every Saturday," explained Yamaguchi. "You'd love it. I've no doubt you'll be good at it. We all play together; you are a part of my family." And Tsukishima would be the same person as he was; the type who loved in a different way. He would look like an indifferent person, but he would show how much he cared for Yamaguchi. "And we would- never mind."

"What did you want to say?"

"Something stupid."

"That ship has sailed long time ago."

Yamaguchi blushed. If Tsukishima was allowed to open up, so was he."We would fall in love."

Tsukishima didn't say anything. Yamaguchi thought he probably said something wrong and got up. Tsukishima, however, brought him back."I know I don't speak a lot, and if we somehow manage to get out alive, I'll still be the same."

"I know," said Yamaguchi with a smile. "But I did fall for you and for what you are. I love you, Kei."

"I love you too, Tadashi."

Tsukishima ran his fingers through Yamaguchi hair. Yamaguchi enjoyed the touch and kissed Tsukishima. It started as a short kiss, which lasted longer and longer. Yamaguchi couldn't hold himself anymore. Tsukishima seemed to share the same thought. They started to make out, occasionally taking a break to breath air.

A noise of something hitting the around stopped them. Yamaguchi jump, Tsukishima simply irritated. It was a parachute that was sent to them. Curious, wondering who would want to bother them, Yamaguchi picked it up.

"It's from my stylist," said Yamaguchi after reading the note. _You're too precious, Yama-chan. I just want to make sure he protects you properly, O.T._

Yamaguchi looked inside and wondered if it was legal. "What did he send?" He heard Tsukishima's voice.

"Protection," Yamaguchi didn't explain any further.              

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come to think about it, is it legal to sent condoms to the arena? Are they allowed to have sex? I mean, with all that violence, sex is the least thing they should fear watching.
> 
> Jokes aside, as I said, this fic is fast paced, so next chapter will be last one. And it would be everything but funny. 
> 
> Hope you liked it! Please leave a review :)


	9. Star Crossed Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Capitol is rushing to end the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to Nat-chan :)
> 
> I honestly could have written it a long time ago, but my relatives came to visit and all they did was sitting on my nerves. 
> 
> This is the last chapter that sums up the games, so embrace yourselves, you might hate the ending. 
> 
> Sorry is there are any mistakes, I wasn't really focused!

As much as it was nice being alone together safe, both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi knew that safety feeling wouldn't last forever. There were only four people left and the Capitol would probably decide to rush things up. It was easy to notice they end was near when the night became a little too early.

"We can't stay here," commented Tsukishima. Yamaguchi agreed with him.

Tsukishima was able to walk fine on his own, or so he claimed. He limped a bit, but it was barely noticeable. Both of them needed a plan to face the two tributes that left, Sawada and Ennoshita. Both of them could deal with one of them at a time, but what about both? Tsukishima had better fighting skills, but he was injured. Yamaguchi wasn't weak either, but he didn't have enough energy left for fighting. He just wanted everything to be over already. He wanted to go back home, to his brothers, with Tsukishima by his side. He had to gather the last remaining strength left inside of him if he wanted to come back home.

They suddenly heard a scream, no doubt coming from a human. The cannons fired, giving them a notice that only three tributes left. It wasn't a time to celebrate, however. They were too busy wondering what did the game makers were up to.

Both of them stopped walking, taking low breaths in order to be more aware to the environment. They heard hush voice of something moving between the bushes. The voice got stronger each second passing by. "I think it's coming from this way," said Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi nodded. "Do we start running now?"

"Yes."

They decided not to wait to be the prey. Yamaguchi didn't know who made those sounds, but they were apparent. He looked up and saw the full moon. He heard a sound of growling. He was sure those were wolves and he seriously didn't want to face them. The voice got stronger despite the fact the teens were running. Their large figures became clearer, there were about twenty of them.

"They will catch up soon," Yamaguchi thought out loud. He wanted to run faster, but he knew Tsukishima would have hard time to catch up. They both noticed a little heel in front of them, one they could climb on and hoping the wolves stop chasing them.

One of the wolves came closer to them, ready to bite. Yamaguchi quickly pulled one of his arrows and took it down. He noticed its eyes were human, making him feeling a little guilty. It was ridiculous, but they were created by the game makers, so they probably weren't actually living creatures.

They reached the heel and started climbing the rocks. Yamaguchi was used to climbing, for him it wasn't a problem. However, as he reached the top, he noticed that Tsukishima was pretty far. The wolves couldn't climb, but they did try to jump. While waiting for Tsukishima to reach the top, Yamaguchi was afraid to shoot any wolf, for their eyes looked too much like human eyes. It didn't feel like creatures were hunting him and it made his stomach twist.

One of them had a pair of beautiful brown eyes, a pair that was familiar. A pair of eyes he thought he lost and found it hard to stare at them again. They reminded of Yachi Hitoka, the girl he let down, the one who was dead because of him.

Tsukishima looked down for a moment. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "It's an illusion. They are dead. It's just a trick."

Yamaguchi nodded. He shot the wolf that jumped at Tsukishima. Yamaguchi reached out his hand to help Tsukishima. They both were on the top, looking down at the wolves. "Do you think they will learn how to climb?"

"I don't doubt that for a second," he said.

"I'm glad you made it," Yamaguchi gave Tsukishima a quick kiss.

"There are at least twenty hungry wolves underneath us, that's not the time for romance," commented Tsukishima, though he didn't seem angry.

"I'm not sorry, Kei," Yamaguchi said with a smile.

Tsukishima laughed and this time he was the one kissing Yamaguchi.

"Well, well, well," their heard a third person's voice. They broke the kiss, and turned their faces. It was the tribute from District 1, Sawada. "Isn't it lovely that we all gathered here to celebrate the union of the star crossed lovers?"

Tsukishima muttered a curse under his breath. Tsukishima let go of Yamaguchi to face Sawada. "Stay back," he told Yamaguchi. "It's between the two of us."

"You can protect your boyfriend for now, lover boy," said Sawada. "But you won't live long enough."

Tsukishima took out one of his knives. "We'll see about that."

"I don't understand it. You had an alliance with us. You could make until the end with us."

"You'd have betrayed me in the end."

"Of course we would. We aren't buddies. But why you didn't kill us first? What was that urgent?"

Yamaguchi gasped. He understood the reason Tsukishima joined them better and the reason why he was ready to betray them. The reason why he was injured when he found him. He was looking for him all along.

"Don't you think it's a little pathetic to be worked up by a tribute who betrayed you in the Hunger Games?" Tsukishima teased.

Sawada launched himself at Tsukishima, who fought back. Yamaguchi took out an arrow, though Tsukishima didn't really need help. Tsukishima used the fact Sawada was taller and punched him in the stomach. Sawada flinched, but kicked Tsukishima in his leg, right where he got an injury. Tsukishima screamed and Sawada took the chance, and made Tsukishima lose his balance. He grabbed Tsukishima by his neck and held him at the end of the heel, threatening to throw him to the wolves.

Yamaguchi didn't wait any moment and prepared to shoot an arrow at Sawada. The tribute just laughed. "Go ahead," he looked amused. "Let's see if you'll do the smart choice. You can spare my life, but I kill you both, or you can shoot me, but I'll still drop lover boy. What will you do? Choose to die with him or to save your ass?"

At that moment Yamaguchi was truly lost. It seemed that either way Tsukishima would die, so he really didn't want to choose. However, he had no choice. He felt he was running out of time.

"Do it," encouraged him Tsukishima. "I'll be fine, trust me."

"For a guy who wears glasses, you're sure dumb," laughed Sawada.

Tsukishima didn't look terrified. Instead, he was composed. Yamaguchi wasn't entirely convinced Tsukishima changed his mind. However, he decided to do what he always did- trust him.

Yamaguchi aimed and shot the arrow. Sawada died before he reached the ground. As an instinct, Sawada let go of Tsukishima. Tsukishima fell down and Yamaguchi ran quickly, hoping for a small chance to catch Tsukishima before he hit the ground. He sighed in relief when he saw that Tsukishima was holding on to the rocks instead being eaten by the wolves.

"I told you to trust me," said Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi smiled. His eyes were filled with water, but he wasn't crying. He felt a drop of water falling down from his cheek, yet it wasn't his tear. In a matter of seconds, it started raining cats and dogs. Yamaguchi reached out his hand, "hurry up, we can still win."

"I can't," said Tsukishima. "The rocks are slippery."

There could be two victors. Tsukishima and he were the only ones left. What was the point to put one of them at risk… unless; they never intended to keep their promise. After all, there could only be one victor.

_"Dear tributes",_ it was an announcement from the game makers probably. _"The new rule that allowed two tributes to win is canceled. It was decided to respect the tradition of the Hunger Games and let only one tribute to survive. I repeat, only one tribute could win. May the odds be ever in your favor."_

Tsukishima struggled to climb up. Yamaguchi started to climb down to help him. He had no idea how, but he was sure he could find a way both of them would live. He took one step down.

"What are you doing?" yelled Tsukishima. "You might fall."

"I'll be fine, trust me," Yamaguchi quoted Tsukishima. "I can bring us both up. Keep holding on."

"Don't be stupid."

Yamaguchi slipped, but managed to stable himself. He looked down. There was Tsukishima, high fall until the ground and a bunch of hungry wolves. He wouldn't be able to survive this. He climbed back, which wasn't a long way back. He reached out his hands again, "okay, but please, climb and reach the top with me."

"Tadashi…"

"No," it was Yamaguchi's turn to yell. "We can do this. Let's make our own happy ending in this universe."

"You have more fighting spirit than you think," said Tsukishima. "I always liked that about you."

This time tears fell down his face. Was Tsukishima saying goodbye? "You told me to trust you. I know you can make it."

"It's a long way to the top. You and I both know that I won't be able to-" Tsukishima lost his grip, and Yamaguchi's heart skipped a beat. Tsukishima managed to get a hold onto the rocks, but he was farther down.

Yamaguchi's hand got tired of waiting, but he refused to go back. "Stop talking and start fighting yourself!"

"This is not our alternative universe." Tsukishima leaned back and looked at Yamaguchi's eyes. "I don't want to see you for any time soon." Tsukishima let go of his grip.

"NO," Yamaguchi screamed.

However, it was too late. Yamaguchi watched at Tsukishima suffered from agonizing pain. The wolves torn the teen's skin slowly, taking their time. There was blood coming out of everywhere. It was an awful sight. Yamaguchi did a last favor for Tsukishima. Tsukishima always saved him. He didn't deserve to die a slow painful death. He didn't deserve to die at all. Yamaguchi took arrow. Tsukishima didn't say anything, but his eyes were begging for the pain to stop.

"I'm sorry." He shot the arrow and freed Tsukishima from the suffering he felt. The cannons were fired.

The wolves were done and walked away. All that was left was Tsukishima's bleeding body, torn apart. He wanted both of them to stay alive and yet, he was the one who ended up killing Tsukishima.

He didn't notice the game maker announcing his winning, until he touched his shoulder. With eyes full of tears he looked at the man. He was shorter a bit, with a weird looking beard and he wore a showy purple suit, typical for Capitol people.

"Congratulations for becoming the 70th victor of the Hunger Games," he announced with a wide smile.

Did he watch the Games? Wasn't he the one who declared there could be two victors? Wasn't it clear that Tsukishima wasn't a tribute standing on his way to the victory? Wasn't it clear he lost the person whom he was in love with for more than a decade? Why the game maker was cheerful?

All of them were kids. All of them could lead long happy lives. They should have gone to school instead of the arena. It felt like fire was burning inside of him. The hope he was given was taken away in few seconds. He looked to his side and noticed Sawada's body. As if he was a controlled by other forces, he walked towards the body. He took the one of the knives that was attached to Sawada and threw it at the game maker.

 

Yamaguchi looked at the Capitol lights. He was dressed in black mourning clothes, an idea Oikawa came up with.

Ukai was standing beside him. "In few minutes, your interview will begin. You're going to say you were so depressed from the death of your boyfriend, you couldn't control yourself. When the cameras were off you were talking about getting married. This is your line was defense."

"I'm in deep problem, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are," his mentor got angry. "They can fucking charge you for murder and put you in prison."

"Technically, they should do it to every tribute."

"Go ahead and sass me. Remember you volunteered for your little brother? What the hell do you think they are going to do to him or your other brothers?"

Yamaguchi didn't say anything. How could he put his family to risk when they were part of the reason he was fighting for?

"Exactly," said Ukai, "you better give your best performance."

 

Kuroo stayed with his messy hair style, but this time he was wearing a blue suit that frequently didn't fit him. "Let's welcome our 70th Hunger Games victor, Yamaguchi Tadashi," he announced.

Yamaguchi got up the stage, the whole crowd was cheering him as if he was a celebrity. He thought Kuroo would try to make him smile to the crowd and bow in front of them, but he just shook his hand and signed him to sit down.

Kuroo put a comforting hand on Yamaguchi shoulder, saying, "I want to say, from the bottom of my heart, I don't think I ever cried this much at the end of a game before."

There were sounds of crying people in the audience. Kuroo continued, "It must have been hard for you."

Yamaguchi nodded. Tsukishima's death was still hunting him, with every awaken moment and in his dreams. He didn't want to talk about it. All he wanted was to be left alone and grieve quietly.

"Your reaction for your lost was devastating too," Kuroo spoke, "you felt so angry, you probably wanted to be left alone, right?"

Kuroo was helping him. Why was he doing that? "I love-" he chocked, "I loved Kei. I was ready to do everything to safe him. It made me frustrated that I couldn't save him."

"All he wanted was for you to stay alive," suggested Kuroo. "You could see it in his eyes."

"Thank you," said Yamaguchi quietly, though it didn't make him feel better.

Kuroo put on a wide smile. "And, it's time for you to meet President Snow to get your award."

Yamaguchi stood up, feeling anxious. The crowd cheered as the president walked in. They were all thrilled to see him, whereas Yamaguchi wanted to yell at him and take his anger out on him. Snow stood in front of him, tall and awe aspiring. He was handed a crown to put on Yamaguchi hand.

"Congratulations," he said loudly. Then, in a low voice only Yamaguchi could hear, he add, "I liked the game maker. He was important to me. Doesn't it hurt when someone important to you getting hurt too?"

 

_"Doesn't it hurt when someone important to you getting hurt too?"_ the words kept hunting his mind all the way back to District 12. They already took Tsukishima away, wasn't it enough?

The ride back was quite. The first night he was hunted by nightmares, but he managed to cry himself to sleep. The second night, he asked for sleeping pills, of which Ukai was against, claiming it would turn him to an addict. He fell asleep immediately.

When he got out of the train, the whole district was where to greet him. In the crowd, he was searching for his family. It was hard at first, but he managed to find them. They were cheering for him, but something was wrong.

Someone was missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. It was kinda hard to write this chapter. 
> 
> Next chapter will be the epilouge and now I announce a sequal (I might give Yamaguchi a happy ending this time). More details in the epilouge. 
> 
> Please leave a review, it would be great to know what you think of the story, and it would encourage me writing the sequal.


	10. Epilouge- Victory Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months after the Games are over, Yamaguchi has to deal with the Victory Tour, where he has to visit each district, including District 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was way longer than I expected it to be (the longest one yet!). I wasn't sure if I really wanted a sequal, so the ending of the chapter will make everything clear. 
> 
>  
> 
> (Dedicated for Nat-chan who recently had suffered from dumb people. And for the senpai who started reading this, but is busy and will reach the ending way after I publish this chapter)

_He was looking around. It took him a while to understand he was in the forest. He couldn't remember how he got there. There were tall trees, almost no space between them. The environment wasn't familiar. He heard no sound, only his breathe._

_He walked until he reached a flowery field covered with dark crimson roses, white lilies and purple hyacinths. It was beautiful, but Yamaguchi sensed a warning aura, telling him not to go inside, but stay in the forest. He walked anyway._

_He knelt down, thinking of picking one of the white lilies. But before he could pick it up, he saw a drop of blood landing on the flower. He looked up and to his horror he saw a young blonde girl who smiled at him. She put on a wide smile, but her throat was cut open, blood spilling on the white dress she wore. It didn't seem to bother her. She didn't speak, but she signed him to get up. Hesitantly, he did as he was told, too shocked to talk himself. She started dancing happily, as if she was a regular healthy girl, not minding the blood that was kept dripping from her cut._

_He turned around to run away, but in front of him stood another blond figure. It was a teenage boy around his age, taller than him. He had beautiful golden colored eyes. He could be handsome; perhaps he was, before his flesh was torn. The sight was gruesome. The blond's stomach was open; it was possible to see the inside clearly. His face was torn by a beast's claws._

_Yamaguchi remembered why he was there. It was his fault. This was the pain he caused to others. "I'm sorry…" he felt a tear ran down his cheek."I'm so sorry…"_

_The blond's face didn't turn in what he felt. It was hard to read. Despite the deadly injury, the blond was able to move. He moved towards the young girl, who waved to them cheerfully. Meanwhile, the flowers around changed their colors to blood-red._

_There was a third figure, which was shorter than the blond, but still taller than Yamaguchi. He was covered in dirt rather than blood. He worked at the mines, Yamaguchi could tell for sure. The man smiled kindly, though his large figure was intimidating. His brown hair was tide in a bun, there was blood coming from his head. His body was covered with bruises. There was something Yamaguchi noticed immediately. He couldn't walk right; his body was… as if he didn't have a skeleton. He was in smaller size than what he was supposed to be. Unlike the rest of the figures, this one couldn't move._

_Yamaguchi found he couldn't control the tears. They just came out, not holding back anymore. He wanted to wipe his tears; there was something wrong with his hands._

_His hands were stained with blood._

Yamaguchi woke up screaming again. When he went back from the arena he suffered from constant nightmares, he had to take sleeping pills to get some sleep. Sugawara got worried that Yamaguchi became too depended on the pills, he suggested him to stop and use something natural rather than a medicine that was made in the Capitol. Yamaguchi followed the advice, but it was hard for him to stop. Sometimes he went to sleep without the pills, but his nightmares still came back. No matter what he tried, the nightmares just came back hunting him.

He knew he wasn't the only one who had troubles to sleep. His screaming woke his brothers up too. After his victory he moved a bigger house given him as a part of his award, in a neighborhood built specially for the victors of the Hunger Games. Since he was the second victor, his only neighbor was his mentor Ukai. The house fitted his brothers and him, now eight members instead of nine.

It was utterly his fault; he knew it, even if the others denied that. If it weren't for his impulsive actions, Asahi would still be alive. The others kept telling him it was an accident- the work in the mines wasn't the safest job in the world. But it wasn't a coincidence, at least not for Yamaguchi.

Sugawara entered the room, trying to calm Yamaguchi. "It's okay," he kept repeating, until Yamaguchi calmed down. He hated himself for that; that he wasn't strong enough to even sleep. Moreover, his brothers had to deal with his trauma while also grieving for the loss of one of them because of him.  He should have given them the new house and keep living in the old orphanage.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

 

Breakfast was quite for the last weeks. It used to be so noisy, so lively, it was all gone. No one was talking except for few questions about the daily schedule. Nishinoya and Tanaka always were the loudest, Hinata and Kageyama used to argue every morning. Now, Nishinoya was depressed and Tanaka couldn't cheer him. Hinata and Kageyama were sitting quietly next to each other.

A knock on the door interrupted the silence. "I'll open the door," announced Yamaguchi. He stood up, not minding the breakfast he didn't touch. He opened the door and there stood a familiar tall figure. He was dress like a citizen from the Capitol- he was one of them after all.

"Hello, Yama-chan."

"Oikawa-san," he was glad to see his former stylist again, though he didn't expect him. "What brings you to District 12?"

"Isn't obvious?" He waited for Yamaguchi to agree, but the teen was clueless. Oikawa rolled his eyes. "Victory- Tour, what other reason I have to visit this dump?"

Yamaguchi couldn't believe he forgot about the Victory Tour. Three months after the Games, the victor would visit the districts that pretend they are excited to see the person who killed one of them. Obviously, it was his turn too.

"You are not alone, aren't you?"

"Not for now, I arrived earlier."

Yamaguchi let Oikawa in. "I'll introduce you to my brothers."

Yamaguchi led Oikawa to the kitchen, there all the boys sat. They were surprised to see a Capitol citizen in District 12- the district was a dump, like Oikawa described it. "Everybody, this is Oikawa Tooru, he is was my stylist-"

"am-" Oikawa fixed him. "I'll be assigned to work with you this tour too."

Nishinoya stood up, furious. "I'm going upstairs," he said.

"Hey, come back and greet our guest properly," Daichi raised his voice a bit.

"I'm not going to be in the same room with one of them!" Nishinoya yelled back.

Daichi got up, but Sugawara stopped him. "I think it's better if he'll be in his room."

Oikawa felt a little awkward, but still introduced himself. "Well, when you said brothers, I expected to see a bunch of freckled people, I have to admit."

"We aren't related by blood," explained Yamaguchi.

Sugawara approached to the guest, "but Tadashi is still our little brother." Oikawa and he shook their hands, and Daichi also greeted him, introducing everyone. "The one whom you met earlier was Nishinoya Yuu… Forgive for his behavior. We recently lost one of us, and he is still dealing with the news."

Whereas Yamaguchi blamed himself for Asahi's death, Nishinoya blamed the Capitol. He hated the regime ever since Saeko, Tanaka's older sister, went to the Games but never came back. If it were up to him, he would start a rebel. However, the results of Yamaguchi murdering the game maker cleared to him what the Capitol would do to the people he cared about.

"I heard there was an 'accident' the coal mines of District 12," said Oikawa. "I'm sorry."

There was another knock on the door. "This must be Shimizu-san," explained Oikawa, "she also wanted to visit-" Tanaka was the one who got up and practically dashed to the door- "you… What's his deal?"

"Ignore him," said Daichi, "anyway, you're here for the Victory- Tour, right?" A woman's scream surprised them and Daichi sighed. "I'm going to take care of this first."

"Victory Tour means you'll visit the districts, right?" asked Kageyama, who turned twelve few days after Yamaguchi came back, but they didn't have a chance to celebrate his birthday properly.

"Yes," answered Yamaguchi.

Shimizu came in, introducing herself, and the brothers greeted her back. Oikawa got angry, "why nobody walks away angrily when she comes in? She is from the Capitol too!"

"That's because she beautiful," answered Tanaka, who kept distance- probably orders from Daichi.

"I'm beautiful too…"

 

Everyone, excluding Nishinoya, sat in the wide living room. Ukai was there too, and everybody realized that the following Victory Tour wasn't just paying a visit to the different districts. "Soon, we would have to start to prepare to the tour, which is a little different this year."

"Different how?" asked Ukai. "And how do you know about this?"

"This year they will start with the District 12 instead of District 1 and they will finish it with the Capitol rather than begin with it," explained Oikawa. "I have connections," he said with a smile that faded a second later. "Someone I know was chosen to be the new game maker."

"Do you think they are still holding a grudge against Tadashi?" asked Sugawara.

"I have no doubt, but I'm not quite sure why. I mean, they already made him pay by taking one of his brothers away, but I'm not sure why the president is still angry with Yama-chan. Maybe that's why he is saving the Capitol for last."

Kageyama, who was silent this entire time, raised his hand. "Does that mean that in the next Hunger Games either Shoyo or I will be chosen?"

Everybody turned their heads to look at him. His blue eyes showed innocence rather than fear. No one said it out loud, because no one wanted to consider this an option. The boys didn't need an answer since they already knew it. There was nothing that could be done to save them.

Shimizu sensed the dark aura that surrounded the room and changed the subject. "I wrote the speeches for Yamaguchi-kun," she handed him a bunch of papers. "You're already a target, so just follow these lines and you'll be fine. The districts will look at you, waiting for a reason to start a revolt. They aren't satisfied with the Games and every little thing can fuel their rage. Choose your words carefully and consider your action before doing them."

 

The next day followed by camera men entering the house, interviewing everyone and taking photos. Oikawa's idea was still dressing him up in grieving suits, which was fine by Yamaguchi. It actually fitted his mood. He wasn't allowed to talk about the brother he lost, nor the brother that decided to skip the interviews.

The day afterwards they started the tour. Everything in District 12 went fine- and by that it meant that everything that could go wrong didn't happen. District 11 was more emotional. He looked at the grieving families. There was one large family, with parents and siblings crying over the tribute that didn't make it. The other one was consisted of one crying woman with blonde hair and brown eyes.

He knew which tribute belong to which family. He remembered both tributes of District 11- Ennoshita Chikara and Yachi Hitoka. Yachi told him she was raised by a single mother. He wanted to comfort the woman who lost her only daughter, but he was the reason she couldn't make it. He wanted to thank the other family, since their son did save his life, but it was too much for them. Besides, maybe they prefer seeing their son alive rather than saving someone else's. He wouldn't blame them though.

Suddenly, the mother held her right hand up, showing three fingers tight together. It wasn't a good sign. Yamaguchi couldn't say anything; he was lost at that moment. The rest of the District joined her gesture. There soldiers approaching the woman, dragging her from the crowd. It was followed by a riot, some fighting against the soldiers to save woman, which only cost them their lives.

Before Yamaguchi could continue, he was dragged from the stage. He couldn't see what happened behind him, but he was dragged inside the hall of justice of District 11. When the doors were closed, he heard few more gun shots.

 

The rest of the districts probably got the massage and they just stood and listened to the words Shimizu had written. He used the same one for every district- the less sentimental it was, the better. He still didn't know what happened to Yachi's mother, but he hoped that a miracle had happened and she was okay.

The closer they were to District 2, the less were the hours Yamaguchi slept during the nights. His nightmares only got worst and longer. All his dreams could be concluded to a single ending- he was using Tsukishima's weapon to stab him through the heart. Some were so dreadful, it made him feel nausea.  

How could he stand there and face Tsukishima's family? They probably loathed the freckled teen for being the reason their son never came back home. Tsukishima was stronger than him- he wouldn't act so pathetically if he had won. He would deal better with the situation, he wouldn't be a wreck.

Yamaguchi stood on the stage, not looking at the crowd. He never met Tsukishima's family before, yet he knew he would recognize them. He wasn't able to face them nor looking at them. At first he tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. He wanted to get off the stage and turn back, but he knew he had to do it. He took a deep breath and just read the words on the paper, without looking at the crowd at all. He read the words as if they were a shopping list in a hurry to finish the words quickly.

"Thank you," said at the end and walked away, waiting for no one's approval. Shimizu and Ukai followed him. Once they got off the stage, Yamaguchi sighed. He was glad he could it without falling apart. "Good job, kid," Ukai said to him. "It could have ended a lot worst."

Their schedule was tight, so they went to the train. Except the camera men and Oikawa's assistances, everyone was quite. Yamaguchi tried to be positive, thinking two more stations left. Then, it would be all over and he could go home and not to worry about anything except the next Hunger Games.

As he was walking back, he heard someone calling his name. A man came running to them. Yamaguchi didn't need to meet him to recognize who he was. It wasn't because he was once a victor too. It was because of the similarity between him and his little brother- though he didn't wear glasses and his eyes were brown. "Tadashi-kun!" Tsukishima Akiteru referred to him as if he knew him for ages. The soldiers that escorted them didn't let Akiteru near them, but Yamaguchi sighed it was okay.

Akiteru was tall, though shorter than Tsukishima. In contrast to his brother, he had a friendly aura around him whereas Tsukishima was more cool and distant. Yamaguchi heard stories about Akiteru before he was sent to the Games, how much Tsukishima used to look up to him. Yamaguchi wished they would meet each other under different circumstances.

"It nice to finally meet you," Akiteru said to him with a smile.

Yamaguchi was little taken aback. "You don't hate me?" Also, was Tsukishima talking about him? "Kei… he isn't with us because of me."

"Am I upset that my brother died? Yes, of course I do," Akiteru's smile faded quickly. "But I don't think it was because of you."

"You don't?" Yamaguchi blinked in surprise. If it were one of his little brothers, he would be angry with the victor.

"You know why Kei was chosen? It was because I won. The Capitol loves to choose tributes whose older siblings had won before, to see if it runs in the family. I changed after I came back and it affected him." Akiteru didn't have to tell Yamaguchi the family history. He was quite familiar with it. Yamaguchi knew how much Tsukishima was hurt from the person his brother came to be. Yet, he only heard Tsukishima's side. Both brothers were upset from the fate that fell upon the family. Tsukishima wanted to repair his relationship with his older brother, but he never had the chance.

"You know," Yamaguchi said, "he always talked about you. I don't think he hated you, he knew how much you cared about him. The Games made him more understanding."

"I see why he liked you so much," Akiteru ruffled Yamaguchi hair.

"Hey!" Yamaguchi begged him to stop. He tried to fix his hair afterwards. "He talked about me?"

"He wouldn't shut up about you! Maybe I went a little too far, but he did talk about you. He never mentioned your name though; I only realized it at the interview. I visited him before he was sent to the Capitol. I expected him not to care, but I was surprised he did intent to fight. He said he promised someone he would see them again."

The promise they made each year.

Akiteru continued, "Somewhere along the line his plans changed from fighting to see you again to fighting in order to make sure you'll survive. It may sound unusual thing to say, but I'm glad he was fighting for something and he didn't just give up."

 

Akiteru also told Yamaguchi about how 'little Kei' used to be obsessed with dinosaurs and gave him a necklace that Tsukishima used to wear, with what looked like a dinosaur's tooth. It looked kinda cool and he was happy he had a memento from him. Yamaguchi put it on and refused to take it off, even when Oikawa literally threatened to kill him- "It's just doesn't fit what I made for you!" he complained.

"I think it goes with everything," Yamaguchi answered back.

"Kids these days…" Oikawa muttered.

District 1 was the district that made the least problems, even though the winner wasn’t one of them. The biggest visit was the Capitol. Once he got out of the train, he received a warm welcome. Everyone cheered for him. However, he couldn't enjoy the welcome. He didn't deserve it. He was quickly taken to the dressing room, Oikawa fixed everything that needed to be done and fixed Yamaguchi's hair cut. He was wearing a black suit that was covered with glitters- he tried not to understand the Capitol's latest fashion.

That day he had an interview with Kuroo and then a party at the president's house. Kuroo was wearing another red suit; his hair was still as messy as Yamaguchi's life. "Welcome again, the winning tribute from District 12," Kuroo greeted him.

"Hello," Yamaguchi simply said. Kuroo was one of the very few Capitol citizens whom Yamaguchi couldn't bring himself to hate. He knew to ask the right questions and he was kind, despite the first impression he made.  

"I guess the last three months were pretty hard for you," said Kuroo. "How are you dealing with your loss?"

Everyone so far only asked him about his victory, he thought they had forgotten he lost his beloved one. "I miss him. I wish he was here instead of me," and he was honest.

"We are all sorry for your loss. He is now in a better place."

"Thanks."

"Your brothers must have helped you with your grief, didn't they?"

So they didn't know about the coal mines, which meant they didn't know they were mourning too. Yamaguchi didn't want to go to that place. It was bad enough the crowd pretended to care about what happened to Tsukishima; he didn't need their fake condolences over Asahi- he didn't deserve it. "Of course, they were there for me." It wasn't a lie.

"Well, say hi to your family for me. Did you guys keep the cat?"

 

After the interview there was big party and Yamaguchi had to fake smiles and talk to people. He put on a mask of a smiley face and ate the food. There was too much to eat, he couldn't taste everything. The Capitol citizens were able to so since they drank special wine that made them throw up, as Oikawa told him.

Speaking of the devil, from across the table he could see Oikawa arguing with someone. He was just a little bit short, with spiky black hair. He didn't know who that person was, but he clearly said something that made Oikawa offended and the stylist just left. The man himself looked angry, maybe feeling sorry for making Oikawa angry. He approached to the table with the wine, the normal one, and drank a glass. Then, the man got closer.

Only when he was few steps away, Yamaguchi realized he was approaching him. He held up his hand, "nice to meet you, I'm the new game maker, Iwaizumi Hajime."

Yamaguchi shook his hand. He had heard the name before. Oikawa was always talking about that guy, they were romantically involved- maybe not after the fight they had. "Nice to meet you…"

They went to the side, there were far away enough. It was safe yet, there were probably cameras everywhere, but it was better than talking in the large crowd. Yamaguchi was nervous. The last he was next to a game maker he ended up killing him.

"I saw you talking to Oikawa san earlier," he said casually.

"This is our business," Iwaizumi said defensibly. "I'm here to warn you."

"To warn me?" repeated Yamaguchi.

"They are after you."

"They already made me pay-"

"When a tribute is chosen, we search about him," Iwaizumi explained. "We want to know everything about them. When you were adopted, you were had to be registered anew because you weren't originally from District 12, so no one suspected anything. However, even if someone moved to a different District, there was still a record for that."

"How can there be a record? My mother left me in District 12 and ran away."

"But there are supposed to be records about your previous life- the day you were born and where."

Yamaguchi was puzzled. "I don't understand where you are going with this."

"The day you claim you were born, there is a record of six newborns. All of them are registered in the different districts."

"Are you saying that-?"

"There is no record of you before you came to District 12. Technically, you don't exist."   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an official announcement- there will be a sequal!   
> I know that most of you wonder how it would be possible, because, well, the theme of the star crossed lovers kinds killed itself and it won't be a TsukkiYama fic no more. I actually didn't like the fact that both Katniss and Peeta survived, but that's a different disscusion. 
> 
> There will be a rebel. There will be *more* characters death. There will be other ships (though it doesn't mean there will a happy ending for everyone). 
> 
> So stay tuned for more angst and tears! 
> 
> (Please leave a comment, it would mean a lot to me :))

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like the scene where Hinata and Kageyama are yelling each other names was kinda cliche...
> 
> Hope you liked it, please leave a review :)
> 
> I also wrote this for my beautiful kouhai, Nat-chan, whom I'm nagging why HG AU is the best.


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